bring it

It started in the 5th grade. All around me, girls started growing boobs! Not me though. From there it was my curly hair, my height (or lack thereof), my skin, teeth, and body.
Oh, my body.
I became the Queen of Comparison Shopping.
The "pretty girls" were everything I wasn't. 

As I entered my teen years, youthful slenderness gave way to feminine curves that I was less than grateful for.
And those boobs I envied back in 5th? I got them... and I hated them.
 At 16, I got a job at an amazing chocolate shop. We were encouraged to eat as much as we wanted so we could describe flavors to the customers.
Luscious caramels, decadent truffles, rich fudge. Heavenly.
 I packed on a good 20 pounds in my first few months there.

The chocolate shop is now years behind me but those twenty pounds, plus some baby weight and some lazy weight, have stuck around. Rather than do anything about them, I've continued with the useless comparison game. Until now.
Screw comparing my body to other women! It's gotten me nowhere.

This body, my body, has grown some amazing babies.
 My breasts have nourished them, my arms have held them.
(They even inherited my curly hair!)

It's high time to show this body some gratitude!

I begin this journey with a challenge, a jumpstart to the real me. By nourishing my own body and exercising its muscles, I will prove myself I care. And in showing my body I appreciate her, I hope to teach my children to love theirs too.