amandacWhen I begin to think of things I like about my body, nothing particularly stands out at first. My hair is okay, it’s always been a pretty color. My ears are small, but cute I think. Nothing particularly stands out, until I begin to think of all the things my body can do. Then, my body not only becomes beautiful, it becomes extraordinary.

I love my eyes. My mom’s green eyes and my dad’s blue ones came together to form a bright green for my sister, while I got what I call a muddy hazel. But that’s not why they’re beautiful. They’re beautiful because they reflect the eyes of my parents, the people who created me. They’re beautiful because they’ve been a witness to happiness, joy, sadness, love, life, & death. They’ve seen injustice, they’ve seen hope….they enable me to see the world as I do.

I love my hands. They’ve held other hands in times of deep need. They’ve hugged, wiped tears, created, loved. They’ve held the hands of poor children, given high fives to my students, held a baby. They’ve written papers, studied for tests, adjusted microscopes, pet a puppy, come together in prayer. They are beautiful because they’ve enabled me to experience the world. Sure they aren’t the best looking; my nails aren’t painted, I bite my cuticles….but these hands have been used touch to love, console & inspire, and they are beautiful.

And finally, my feet. My feet are worn from years on the mat as a martial artist, but these feet have carried me to places I never could have imagined. They’ve taken me all over the country, they’ve played with kids, they let me run, jump, and skip towards my dreams. They’ve spent countless hours on a mat, participating in my favorite job, being a martial arts instructor. They are worn, but that just means I’ve used them well.

I do like the way my hair looks, and I like the color of my eyes, and I like the shape of my ears. But when people ask me what I like most about my body, those things seem superficial. What I really love about my body is what it enables me to do; inspire, dream, & love. The color of my eyes doesn’t really matter when I’m living such a beautiful life. :)