Hey guys – it’s GS here. I know it’s been a while but I promise I have a good excuse. Perhaps it was because I felt like I couldn’t write – that the things I was going through just couldn’t be put to ink because it made it feel TOO REAL. But here I am, on my 25th birthday, feeling like I finally am ready to reflect.
4 weeks ago I had to undergo abdominal surgery. Without going into too much details, the surgery was very necessary, very sudden, and very scary. I had to stop my life – defer grad school, defer wedding planning, and just STOP. And for someone like me, who is always go go go, this was tough. Not only was I going through a major health crisis, my body had been experiencing unexpected and unwanted changes. I had gained significant weight, felt lousy all the time, had no interest in food – I just felt like I wasn’t myself. The surgery would not only leave me with a big scar from my breastbone to my belly button, but came with a 6 week recovery period. And all of this was happening four months before my wedding! Oy.
Why am I writing this? Because we all spend SO much time (myself included) being vain about our bodies. We look at the outside as the ideal – being thin and fit. But going through this experience has given me a new and much more valuable outlook. I don’t just appreciate my looks – I have a newfound appreciation for what’s on the inside (literally!). I APPRECIATE WHAT MY BODY CAN DO. I appreciate that my surgery took half the time as expected because I was so fit. I appreciate that a week after surgery I was able to walk on the treadmill (an old lady walk mind you, but a walk all the same!). I appreciate that two days ago I started to run again. I appreciate that my body has healed itself so rapidly and I even appreciate that new scar – a scar that I will ROCK for the rest of my life as a badge of honor – as a sign that I am a warrior and can conquer anything.
So what do I wish to impart to you? Tomorrow morning when you look in the mirror, do me a favor. Instead of nitpicking every little perceived flaw, take a good hard look. Appreciate yourself. Be grateful for the amazing things your body can do. Because without, you’re nothing.