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Knees & Hips & Back... oh my...
Feb. 11th, 2005 07:50 am
Daily Om
February 11, 2005
Distinctive Beauty
Embracing Your Physical Individuality
The mirror can be a friend and the mirror can be a foe. Few people are willing to accept that their physical individuality is something amazing rather than something to be ashamed of. But like the individual beauty of a single flower placed in a bouquet, each of us, no matter what we look like, contributes to the beauty of humanity and enhances the world.
Though society often emphasizes physical conformity, regardless of what your height or weight may be, you have legs that carry you, arms that hug, lips with which to kiss, and eyes that express a range of emotions. Your body is your perfect home and the ultimate expression of your inner beauty, and is naturally and individual as your personality. You may see your body as a collection of flaws, but more often than not, it is the so-called flaw that provides the counterpoint that creates a vision of beauty. The old adage is true: If we all looked alike, then much of the appeal of the visual world would be lost. For a variety of reasons, mainstream culture asks us to view our physical selves negatively and with a strict eye toward improvement. But in confronting assumptions about our bodies as well as how those assumptions were shaped over time, it becomes possible to accept that true beauty is more than a shape, a size, a color, or a standard. It is when we stop comparing ours! elves to others that we can recognize the true miracle which is the beauty of each and every human body as a whole, without reverting to any erroneous ideal.
The briefest glance through a crowd reveals a wondrous variety of real people. William Shakespeare wrote: “The boughs of no two trees ever have the same arrangement. Nature always produces individuals.” The physical presence of each person on earth fills a unique void and adds a complexity that would be lacking were we all copies spilled from a single mold. With this in mind, take another look in the mirror and make the effort to love what you see.
Or, as another writer so succinctly put it:
Remember the beauty & sacredness of your woman-body. And remember that no matter how your personal body is shaped, whether it is abundant or slight, somewhere in the world a Goddess is venerated Who looks just like you.
- Kimberly Snow, Keys to the Open Gate
After watching 'The Grudge', which by the way, had me completely terrorized for a good 2 1/2 days... I realized part of why this house makes me so nuts. It's my knees. I used to be able to run & fight. I could get out of handcuffs & squirm thru cop car windows... I had complete ability to use my body as a weapon. Now I lay in bed & wonder, 'Can I make it to the door without my knee just collapsing under me? Can I make it to the gun in the closet?" I know that when I get up suddenly, my knee tends to buckle, simply because there's nothing there to keep it rigid enough to stand on. Hel's bells, sometimes I'll be walking & my whole leg will twist at the knee so that my foot is pointing forward & the top of my thigh is facing in towards my crotch... or trying to turn backwards. It's usually accompanied by some alarming grinding noises and blinding pain, but that's par for the course. It's more alarming when my thigh is pointing the way it should be, but my calf swivels in mid-stride & my foot ends up facing the wrong way... it feels the same, but looks a heck of a lot freakier. My kneecap floats around aimlessly. Sometimes it stays where it should, sometimes it sags & interferes w/me being able to bend my leg at all... sometimes it rides up & does the same, or switches from outside/inside... I can actually feel every step I take - it's not autonomic movement anymore. I have to think, tell my thigh muscles to lift & my calf muscles to propel. Otherwise I end up dragging my foot like a zombie. And all this tells me that if I was ever in danger, I better hope I can hop really fast.
February 11, 2005
Distinctive Beauty
Embracing Your Physical Individuality
The mirror can be a friend and the mirror can be a foe. Few people are willing to accept that their physical individuality is something amazing rather than something to be ashamed of. But like the individual beauty of a single flower placed in a bouquet, each of us, no matter what we look like, contributes to the beauty of humanity and enhances the world.
Though society often emphasizes physical conformity, regardless of what your height or weight may be, you have legs that carry you, arms that hug, lips with which to kiss, and eyes that express a range of emotions. Your body is your perfect home and the ultimate expression of your inner beauty, and is naturally and individual as your personality. You may see your body as a collection of flaws, but more often than not, it is the so-called flaw that provides the counterpoint that creates a vision of beauty. The old adage is true: If we all looked alike, then much of the appeal of the visual world would be lost. For a variety of reasons, mainstream culture asks us to view our physical selves negatively and with a strict eye toward improvement. But in confronting assumptions about our bodies as well as how those assumptions were shaped over time, it becomes possible to accept that true beauty is more than a shape, a size, a color, or a standard. It is when we stop comparing ours! elves to others that we can recognize the true miracle which is the beauty of each and every human body as a whole, without reverting to any erroneous ideal.
The briefest glance through a crowd reveals a wondrous variety of real people. William Shakespeare wrote: “The boughs of no two trees ever have the same arrangement. Nature always produces individuals.” The physical presence of each person on earth fills a unique void and adds a complexity that would be lacking were we all copies spilled from a single mold. With this in mind, take another look in the mirror and make the effort to love what you see.
Or, as another writer so succinctly put it:
Remember the beauty & sacredness of your woman-body. And remember that no matter how your personal body is shaped, whether it is abundant or slight, somewhere in the world a Goddess is venerated Who looks just like you.
- Kimberly Snow, Keys to the Open Gate
After watching 'The Grudge', which by the way, had me completely terrorized for a good 2 1/2 days... I realized part of why this house makes me so nuts. It's my knees. I used to be able to run & fight. I could get out of handcuffs & squirm thru cop car windows... I had complete ability to use my body as a weapon. Now I lay in bed & wonder, 'Can I make it to the door without my knee just collapsing under me? Can I make it to the gun in the closet?" I know that when I get up suddenly, my knee tends to buckle, simply because there's nothing there to keep it rigid enough to stand on. Hel's bells, sometimes I'll be walking & my whole leg will twist at the knee so that my foot is pointing forward & the top of my thigh is facing in towards my crotch... or trying to turn backwards. It's usually accompanied by some alarming grinding noises and blinding pain, but that's par for the course. It's more alarming when my thigh is pointing the way it should be, but my calf swivels in mid-stride & my foot ends up facing the wrong way... it feels the same, but looks a heck of a lot freakier. My kneecap floats around aimlessly. Sometimes it stays where it should, sometimes it sags & interferes w/me being able to bend my leg at all... sometimes it rides up & does the same, or switches from outside/inside... I can actually feel every step I take - it's not autonomic movement anymore. I have to think, tell my thigh muscles to lift & my calf muscles to propel. Otherwise I end up dragging my foot like a zombie. And all this tells me that if I was ever in danger, I better hope I can hop really fast.
