in THIS skin...

Us women, our bodies are amazing!  Have you ever really sat down and thought about the fact that we create, carry, deliver, and nourish life through our body?  Sadly, I know all of these stages of the birthing process first hand.  I became pregnant, carried my babies for six months, delivered them vaginally, my breast milk came in, my post-partum emotions ran high... I experienced child birth just like every other woman.  The only difference is I didn't get to enjoy witnessing my girls presence here on earth, and I still miss them so much.  I did, however, experience the amazing things our body can do!  

These days, so much emphasis is put on being skinny, fitting into a certain pair of jeans, what dress size we are, what fad diet we are on, and what we look like.  It is so sad to me to watch beautiful women make appointments for plastic surgery, hunch their shoulders, hide their bodies under baggy clothes, develop eating disorders, or spend so many hours at the gym they forget what life is really about.  Our bodies are truly incredible and keeping them nourished and healthy should be our number one priority, not slimming down to a size 4, or weighing in at 120 pounds when we are 5'10".  

I pondered all of the above thoughts as I hid my post-partum body behind my one-piece on a lounge chair in Hawaii.  Across the pool I saw Kate Moss's clone laying on her lounge chair with either a towel covering her body or a cover-up, at all times.  I thought to myself, God gave you an amazing body, show it off for goodness sake.  Surprisingly, she didn't strike me as beautiful even though Elle, W, or Glamour would've scooped her up as their February cover model in a heart beat.    Then, one of the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen walked in front of me heading towards the hot tub.  She didn't wear a cover-up, nor did she wrap a towel around her waist, she simply strutted her stuff down the pool deck like she was walking the catwalk at Karl Lagerfeld's fall runway show in Paris.  This woman was clearly overweight and by far the largest woman at the resort.  She couldn't of cared less, she was the most beautiful woman at the pool that day.  Ahh Haaa!!!  Confidence is what makes us beautiful, not waist size or hip girth.  

So to recap, Kate Moss is covering her "perfect" size 0 body, I am hiding my post-partum body "sucking-in" as I walk 3 feet to the pool to take a dip, and the most beautiful woman there is the one who walks proud, loves her curves and clearly knows she's beautiful, belly, boobs, butt and all.  Confidence is what it is all about.  Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the ambition to exercise more (as long as it's not obsessive) or eat healthier (as long as there's enough to meet your body's daily demands) but my challenge to myself and to you is to love the skin you are in!  Stop worrying about what size or weight you want to be in the future and embrace the most amazing gift you have, your body!