To my body,

I hate you now. When did that happen?

I'm sure I didn't enter this world believing you were my adversary. We used to work together.

I used to enjoy doing everything with you as a team. I could climb, run, and jump while you were there.
You had abilities that I thought were valuable. That changed when?

As I grew older, I started to value you based on how little room you occupied. You have gotten bigger
and smaller throughout the years. Through a series of yo-yo diets and frantic excursions to the gym, we
shrank together after growing together during my first few years of high school. You shrunk in size. Still, I
wasn't content. What if you kept getting smaller? As sizes and measures decreased until they reached
the magical zero, you completely vanished. Would I then be content? In my opinion, no.

You know, I was raised in a society that taught me to despise you. No one is spared in the battle against
"perfection" that we are engaged in. They bombard us with commercials. News headlines annoy us. And
the icing on the cake was seeing the gorgeous women we like looking disgustedly at themselves in a
mirror.

The point is well-made. You are damaged. You are flawed. Furthermore, you will never be sufficient. You
must lose weight if you are overweight. You require extra fat if you are lean. We detest our teeth, skin,
and noses. We squander a great deal of our hard-earned time and money trying to "address" problems
that never existed.

Self-evaluation occurs. But the point is, body, you never make judgments about me. You don't consider
your defects to be a collection. Your content as long as you maintain my heartbeat and breathing. Your
scenery is a lovely photo album of all the places I've been. Every peak we have climbed together sticks in
my muscles. Every stretch mark is evidence of my development. The soft fat in my tummy serves as a
recall of wonderful dinners with friends and each decadent birthday cake piece.

You were there throughout the entire process. You've given me the ability to accomplish some
incredible things, whether I liked or despised you. I'm able to experience this strange and amazing world
because to you.

I ought to look after you, but not because I wish to get better. You are my body; thus I should take care
of you. My gorgeously imperfect and completely imperfect body. You are the only body I've ever had,
and you will always be my only body.

You have brought me thus far. But for now, it's my turn to look after you. Allow me to feed you. I'll move
you. Allow me to focus more on my feet and less on the reflection as we take baby steps toward a future
of self-acceptance and love.

Love,