My advice is to treat your body as if it is the most precious thing in the world, because it is. It is intricate and complex and absolutely astonishing in every aspect. You have a brain that processes information faster and more efficiently than the world’s most advanced super computer, cells that break down food into carbon and protein and lipids and then fasten it together and pull it apart for fuel like dance or a jigsaw puzzle. Your fingers have so many nerves and muscles alone that they allow you to express yourself through symbols like words, to touch, to hold, and experience the world. You have eyes, get this, that can sense the random colorful light waves reflected off of any object, and then process those waves into images that make sense! You have ears that can process sound waves from a whisper to a roar! You have skin that shelters you from harm and warns you not to hurt yourself. You have hormones and emotions that help you interact with the world around you.
But probably the coolest thing about your body is the way you use it, to see, to hear, to think, to laugh, to run, to make love, to kiss, to dance, to explore, the lay down and stare at the sky. It contains your life, your consciousness, and that’s nothing to take lightly. Love your body, appreciate everything it can do for you, because it is pretty damn amazing.
“This is my body, and I live in it, it’s thirty-one and six months old. It’s changed a lot since it was new, done things it wasn’t meant to do… I often try to fill it up with wine. And the weirdest thing about it is, I spend so much time hating it, but it’s never said a bad word about me. This is my body, and it’s fine - it’s where I spend the vast majority of my time. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine.”
-Tim Minchin (2007)
