POST 8

Today I woke up thinking about these two beautiful young girls I saw at the beach last week.

They were probably about 8 years old, and were running around the sand in their bikinis, playing ball games with eachother and some friends.

They were so cute! They had hot pink bikinis on and wore matching hot pink headbands.  But what I really loved about them was the vivacious way they ran around with no concern for how they looked.  They were too busy having fun!

They appeared so EFFORTLESSLY confident and content in their bodies.  I remember feeling that way myself, but it seems like a long time ago.  Although many times over the years, I have experienced moments of joy and appreciation for my body, it has always been AFTER alot of effort was invested in either excersize or a strict eating plan. It's been a long time since I've been content with my body in an effortless way.

I became self concious about my own body at about 10 or 11 years old.  I remember worrying about what clothes I wore and if people would think I looked good or not.  I worried that my butt was too big and that my legs were too short.  I don't recall thinking to myself how lucky I was to have such a healthy body, as I do now.  I just remember feeling really self concious and aware of what others may or may not think about what I wore and how I wore it. 

Fashion was really important to me, even then.  I had moments of fun where I put together an outfit that I thought was cool, so I felt cool. But I spent hours and hours trying different outfits on to make sure I got it right. But again, I felt alot of stress about whether or not people would think I looked good.

So today, I am dedicating my blog to those two beautiful beach girls!  May we all experience such confidence and joy with our bodies! And may our joy be effortless!!! 

Hip Hip Hooray!!!  I feel beautiful today!!!