Friday, November 28, 2008

The best gift of all

After my complaining yesterday and my attempts to unburden emotional and physical baggage, I feel humbled by Charlotte's post today. The human body truly is a magnificient achievement, it's a wondrous form of engineering, with so many uniquely personal attributes for every being on the planet. I'm carrying a few extra pounds of fat, and unfortunately it's stored around my ass and hips, but that couple of additional inches should not negate all the amazing things my body has done, and continues to do for me, and I should be grateful for that.
So I guess my body, like everyone else's, is pretty great, and here's why I'm thankful for it:
1. Flexibility - I'm kind of bendy. Some of it is natural, like the fact that I can lean back into the crab position from standing, and some of it is from TKD and Pilates, like fact that I can almost sit in front splits. I always forget that I'm fairly supple compared to "civilians" until I stretch with a friend at the gym, or with the team before a Tag Rugby game!
2. Photographic Memory - I'm not quite able to merely glance at a page and memorise its entire contents, but I'm not far off it. I used to learn essay questions off by heart the night before my finals when studying Law in University. It felt like cheating because I could turn the pages in my head during the exam!
3. Strong Muscular Physique - This is good and bad! It's a good feeling when I'm benching a decent weight, and I can see my delts and traps pop out with the exertion, but that's bad when you remember I'm a GIRL and it's hard to wear strapless tops when you've got shoulders like a rugby player! :o)
4. Quick Learner - Along with my good memory, I have a good aptitude to adapt to new methods or tasks, (this is starting to sound like my CV!). So thanks to that sense of co-ordination I find I really enjoy classes like Tae-Bo or Power Aerobics that give me a chance to challenge myself.
5. Abs of Steel - Ok, not quite, but I am fortunate to have a fairly flat stomach, with a girly two-pack, and more if I lose any bit of weight. This is all thanks to TKD, though the Pilates has been great in recent months for hitting the lower abs and pelvic floor muscles.
I think that's enough to be grateful for, any more and I might get an ego I can't handle! :o)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

and your post is just as powerfulamazing as charlottes.

how easy it is to take ourselves, our bodies for granted.

for some reason, in all the amazing prose above, this stuck with me:

I always forget that I'm fairly supple compared to "civilians"

(that and Id love to have shoulders like a rugby player :))

M.

Siobhán said...

Thankyouthankyou! You just made me smile Miz, a great big smile like this one: :-D

Charlotte said...

Beautiful post! I agree totally with what MizFit said:) And your photographic memory? Amazing!! What a gift. You are one talented lady! (And love those shoulders, girl - I bet you rock the strappy dresses!)

Siobhán said...

Charlotte you are just too sweet! :) I wish I'd chosen a strappy dress for my Christmas Party this weekend! It's strap-less and I'm trying to figure out a hairstyle that doesn't emphasise my broad shoulders! Don't get me wrong now, I am proud of them, I just wish I could hide them when I want to be girly! :)