enjoy your body

A couple of days ago I was sitting with Beatrice in my lap at the table. She watched her brother eat his lunch with great interest. Gabriel said, "It'll be nice when she's older." Why? I asked, expecting something along the lines of she'll be more interesting. But instead, he surprised me. "Because then she'll really be able to enjoy her body!"

Like how? Like eating good food, and walking and running, and climbing things, and reaching out for something she wants to hold and being able to do it.

Oh! Such a nice reminder: our bodies are wonders. Moving, stretching, tasting, smelling, seeing - such excellent everyday gifts, bodily pleasures that usually go unnoticed - until they become inaccessible. I am especially attuned to the miracle of a body that more or less works, just coming off a nasty stomach bug. Mothers should never have to get sick.

But today I feel much better! That virus was just getting started in me when I had the conversation with Gabriel about bodies, and all that Bea has to look forward to. I was feeling worn down and the day was gorgeous, so after lunch we went outside to watch birds and check on the garden. Gabriel found some acorns there that resembled tanks. So I sat on the deck while the baby snoozed on my chest, and watched the great acorn battle rage across the table.

Just one more way you can enjoy your body: war games. They seem much more benign when enacted with acorns, don't you think?

That afternoon of bird-watching and battling was, not surprisingly, made possible by the fact that we had absolutely nothing on the agenda. Thank you to Amelia, Becky, and Emily for their words of wisdom  after the last post. To Tobie and Meg as well, via Facebook! I appreciate hearing your thoughts and insight - a lot.