I met my now dear friend Rachel Tenny through the magical land of Instagram over a year ago and since they, we’ve had the chance to become in-person friends and I am so grateful. This lady is incredible– her heart for people, gifts that are being lived out at the intersection of counseling and art, and of course, her love of wine, all lend to the authentic life she lives. So when she shared her vision behind the My Body is Enough Project, I held back tears thinking about the lives that would be impacted. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has struggled with body image off and on for most of my non-childhood life. I remember being at a baseball game in 5th grade, sitting in the bleachers wondering why I had dimples on the sides of my thighs when other girls didn’t, having braces earlier than everyone else, and being a competitive musical theater performer who could “always be just a little skinnier”. College of course was a beast (hello pizza + stress) and then Disney, where I was cast into entertainment and scrutinized- literally measured from top to bottom and watched like a hawk from my skin to my stature. Ugh. Ick. Bleh.

Tomorrow I celebrate 5 years of marriage with J, a guy who has been at my side since I was 14. And we have an 18 year old girl living with us. A lot of nights involve partly homemade meals that I can pull together quickly and I’m coming off of years sitting at a desk in corporate land. All that to say, in August I turned a corner. I grabbed a YMCA pass (the 2nd “gym” pass I’ve owned in my life), cleaned out our cabinets, and started working on embracing this season of life and how my body is in it. 

One of the most refreshing things has been going to my Tuesday/Thursday water aerobics class. I’m the youngest one in the pool by 20-30 years and it is the absolute highlight of my week! Just yesterday I met Elaine– a 78 year old who commutes during the week to Tampa to care for her granddaughter. Elaine checked to be sure I was wearing sunscreen and other than that, we carried on conversation about life! She could care less about what size clothes I wear, who styles my hair, what color nailpolish I have on. Because Elaine has lived it, she gets it, and is in a stage where getting up everyday, ignoring the aches and pains, and spending time with people she loves is what matters most. 

Amen to that. 

Rachel,
I am so thankful you’re doing this project alongside all of the other amazing things you’re doing. I’m so excited for people to jump on board– I know this project and these beautiful cards are going to be huge blessings!!!!