A Post for My Legs

I'm dedicating today's post to my legs.

They've been kicked, bruised, skinned, scraped, torn, sprained, strained, and broken. They’ve held me up for hours each workday in 3+ inch heels. They've carried the rest of me for miles and miles on the soccer field, on the running trails, on my spinner, on my mountain bike.

And what have I done for them?

Made them run harder, ride farther and spin longer. Hidden their soccer war wounds under long pants. Worn higher and higher heels. Walked on broken bones. And they keep taking it.

Worse, I’ve been ashamed of them! I’ve never ever had what you would call thin legs. I am what is fondly called a “pear.” I’ve had some serious calves and quads since kindergarten. I ended up in physical therapy in 8^th grade because my quads were so much stronger than my hamstrings that they were pulling my kneecaps off track. I wore baggy pants and long shorts to hide them. I got in the back row of pictures so they wouldn’t be seen. Then while I was looking at the pictures from the competition, I suddenly realized that they were the part of me I am most proud of. 

My dear legs, I apologize.

I’m proud of you.

You are full of dedication, power, and strength.

You look good in a skirt, in jeans, in tall boots and in dress pants.

You can kick a soccer ball 50 miles an hour and roundhouse kick someone in the head.

You help me move furniture at 2am when I get the urge to rearrange it.

You help lift laundry, vacuums, and groceries up and down the stairs.

You keep getting stronger at squats, leg presses, and deadlifts.

You can jump the 3-foot plyo box, lunge a football field, and sprint with a weight sled.

You help me dig in clay soil, carry trees, and haul bags of dirt so my garden can bloom.

You held me up for 5 minutes to win the “plank-off” challenge today.

Even if you aren’t what some would call the perfect legs, you are perfect for me.

I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that. 

Be kind to your body, even the parts you don’t think you like. It’s all you’ve got.