body work

From Sara Sienberg

For years it has been a source of great pain for me to witness so many gorgeous women struggle through the shame and loathing of their bodies at the hands of a misogynist culture, including myself. It has not been a linear process or something to "get through", but rather a consistent and powerful practice of love, forgiveness, and gratitude that come each day, often several times a day. And some ...days are kind of a wash, frankly. And so this weekend I am thinking of all of us, who have been haunted by the spectre of self-loathing, no matter our shape, size, ability, appearance or gender. Here's to our bodies, the places where we have a chance to live, to sip really nice decaf coffee and stare at beaches, where we skateboard or lounge, where we learn to move our wheelchairs or become acquainted with Braille. These are the bodies that let us dance, kiss, laugh and dream in. We live here. We get sick here. We heal and sometimes we die, having the opportunity to stand with our friends as we pass to whatever happens next, the big Transformation. And so today, I'll do my best to love it here, all hips and frizzy hair, with the freedom to run my ungainly gait and wrap my arms around my beloved, type out messages to you with my healthy nimble fingers and fucked up shoulders. My body has given me this opportunity to live a bold life of adventure and wild mistakes landing me in today. Saturday. August 17, 2013.
 

She is right. And this is the most important work I can do for myself now. It is the next step in my healing journey.