Mea culpa.
I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve cared for you, cherished you the way you so deserve.
Mea corpus.
My body, strong, resilient, reliable. . .oh how I’ve neglected you.
It’s time for a heart to heart. To make amends.
Do you know you’re beautiful exactly the way you are?
No? That saddens me and yet I’m not surprised. It’s not something I’ve often said to you, is it.
Mea culpa mea corpus.
For I should have made sure you knew. I didn’t.
Instead, I focused on my mind, showering it with love and attention. You, got very little, and still you thrived, glowing with health for most of my life.
Have I thanked you?
No? That saddens me too for I pride myself on being mindful, appreciating the good in my life.
And you have been so very good.
Mea culpa.
I know you’re tired, and a bit worn out but I have finally heard your whisper. I am so grateful you have not given up.
The time has come and I’ve promised to give you my full attention.
My heart and devotion.
I have a lot to make up for, but I’m willing.
Mea culpa my beautiful body.
It’s time for a new beginning.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” – Maya Angelou
Over to you:
- Write a letter to your body.
- Ask forgiveness for however it’s gone to date.
- Then create and promise a new future.
This is an exercise from the 66 Day Self-Care Challenge. Take part in the challenge by commenting and using the #66days hashtag and connecting with me and C.A. Kobu on Twitter. Download the workbook and leave a comment below.
I love this! I was thinking about your 66 days of self-care tweets this morning because I feel so good today that I wanted to tell you 😀 I am guilty of showering attention and love on my mind and neglecting my body — for a number of reasons. Today, though, I feel really good. I am comfortable from head to toe…everything fits and I think that’s a huge part of self-care — comfy (still stylish) shoes, clothes in my size — not too big because I’m hiding or too small because I can’t believe I wear that other size…Oh Sandi, do I have stories! Anywho, I’m loving the message 🙂
I’m fascinated that so many of us in the helping professions struggle with this. It makes such a difference to hear others’ stories, so feel free to share Jen 🙂
Beautiful Sandi! I love the idea of having a conversation with my body. Mea culpa indeed. I’ve also been guilty of showering love and attention on my mind and leaving my ever faithful body to its own devices. I’m now slowly working to turn the tide, focus more on caring for my body and discovering a more sustainable and satisfying mind-body balance.
And P.S. Brilliant workbook!
It’s slow work turning the tide, isn’t it? One of the things I love about C.A.’s workbook is that I can follow a path vs. forging one on my own. Plus? I love doing things in community!
Dear Jen and Anne, I’m sooo glad you’re enjoying our sweet challenge and the workbook! Are you participating in the challenge? You can jump in any time if you haven’t started yet.
Like both of you and Sandi, I’ve nourished my mind and yet deprived my dear body of the care it needs. At least for the last months. That’s why I tried to include as many physical exercises as possible in
the workbook. But I tried not to go overboard. We wouldn’t want overwhelm 🙂
All together now…step away from the overwhelm!
Like the others, I zoomed right in on you showering your mind, not your body with attention. Ditto! If anyone is interested, you can see my love letter to my body at my website.
My body is feeling good today. She got to work out on the treadmill and stationery bike — turns out she loves it more than my mind does. My mind likes to think the clock must have stopped or something because the time is going by SO slowly. After the gym work, I joined my usual aquafit class which was a full hour of working out. I’m going to sleep tonight! (Another benefit of regular exercise I guess.)
I think I got a bit too ambitious with the old habits I would like to remove and the new habits I would like to develop. Think I’ll scale them back a bit so I’m not setting myself up to fail.
Uh oh! That bed of mine is calling. Fresh sheets tonight — yum!
How’s everyone doing with the challenge?
LOVE fresh sheet night!
Also love how this community is developing. Thanks Carol for sharing your journey so generously!