“Don’t let your mind bully your body.” – June Tomaso Wood
Being the observant person that I am, I can’t help but notice that the current rendition of my body looks nothing like the bodies on the covers of magazines.
For one thing, it’s many decades older. It has a lot more wrinkles and spots. And if some orbiting alien is currently collecting earthly specimens, it might be tempted to catalog me as a completely different genus than say the women you see in the average movie or TV show.
If I’m not vigilant, this glaring dichotomy could cause serious emotional pain. Like all women, I’m blasted 24/7 with ads and FB posts and magazine articles insisting on the importance of microblading my eyebrows, retinoiding my collagen, twilighting my hair color, black lacing my fingernails.
And as for body size, I’ve been socially engineered my entire life to be a size 8. Or is it a 6 these days?
The cultural pressure is so intense that looking in the mirror can be an act of sheer confrontation. Even JLo recently admitted she doesn’t always like what she sees.
So to counteract the non-stop marketing messages, I decided to get up this morning and write a quick thank you note to my 64-year-old body that, as Mae West says, “is no model because models are an imitation of the real thing.”
10 (of countless) reasons I won the body lottery:
1. I have two eyes. They may not be contoured and properly highlighted, but they both work. They allow me to see birds and tiny frogs and the purple crocuses that were poking up yesterday with new springtime hats. They enable me to see this computer screen and to binge (if I so choose) a Netflix series. Thank you, precious eyes.
2. I also have two fully-functioning legs. Their skin isn’t as tight as it used to be, but they still get me from Point A to Point B anytime I want to go. They can still skip, run around a pickleball court and they can still dance. Boy, can they dance. Kudos to you, legs!
3. I have a torso (that can still perform downward dog), 4. a full head of hair, 5. a nose, 6. a mouth (that gets to sample lots of extremely tasty morsels), 7. fingers, 8.toes, 9. ankles, 10. knees–all of which work like a champ, all of which deserve daily thanksgiving.
It’s insane, really, how lucky I am.
So sure, society and marketers and producers of useless stuff will continue to find ways to make me feel less than. They’ll keep advertising stupid products and ludicrous ideas of how I’m supposed to look.
But I declare my freedom. Instead of heeding their ridiculous potions, lotions and notions of beauty, I will just keep saying thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!
Pam Grout is the author of 20 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her latest book, The Course in Miracles Experiment: A Starter Kit for Rewiring Your Mind (And Therefore Your World).
53 Responses
I love it!!
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Cat
Thanks, my friend!
You have everything you need.
Yes, I do. We all do!
NIce post! I’ve taken to calling my body “The Hero” after the ACIM teaching “The Hero of the Dream”. I don’t know if that is the intention of the chapter but I’m having fun reworking my relationship with my body with it..
RR
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Love this! And I adore that you’re reworking your relationship with that hero That’s what we all must do.
And it doesn’t hurt, that you actually are drop dead gorgeous. And I’m not just saying that. you will be gorgeous until you die. Every time I see you I mentally note how gorgeous I think you are. I love your quirky clothes, you’re gorgeous hair, and your tall thin physique. And I especially like your beautiful loving mind. Your fan, cheryl
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Ah, thanks, Cheryl! As you know, I’m your fan, too.
Thank you! God knew that I really needed to hear this today and sent me your way.
I love how beautifully-crafted it all is. The universe does have a way of getting through to us even when we’re looking the other way.
So true, so true. I’m still doing the 3 gratefuls you taught me years ago every morning. I also do my “Something awesome is going to happen to me today!!” It’s changed my world.
I love that you’re still doing the 3 gratitudes and that you still say that every morning. In my new book, I have 26 (one for every letter of the alphabet) of new amazingly awesome affirmations. Bodaciously beautifully, extraordinarily epic, etc. It’s from a calendar that my gorgeous daughter made for me.
I just love you. Thank you for allowing me into your home and yoga session, and to view the beautiful pictures of Taz.
Joining you in celebration of my body and how it has served me. A hug from your sister in spirit.
Hey sis. That yoga screen was for a Amazon prime show called Yoga for the Inflexible.
Will have to look for that on Amazon..thank you❤
Dear Pam, this is pure gold. Thank you for wise words. Also just listening to your current book (I‘ve got them all). Please continue to be so hilarious & great. I THANK the universe for you! Love from Germany, Judith
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Love to you and to Germany! I so appreciate your kind words!
I love this and I love you. xoxoxo
Back at you!
So much gratitude for this post , for you Pam, and your team of light on the other side ❤️❤️❤️
Yes, I have a massive team of light on the other side. Of course, we all do. But I’m definitely paying attention.
Its so easy to fall prey to being hyper self-critical, not “measuring up” to how you’re “supposed” to look. This post is a refreshing reminder of how fab everyone is just as they are:)
Just as we are–perfect!
Blimey. Here I was just about to find some heartless body building trainer to get my 57 yr old body in “shape” when I came across your post. It’s a sign— a sign that says “be happy”. Nothing more. Nothing less.
That’s all it takes. It’s the answer to everything. Even though the ego will try to steer us away from this universal wisdom.
Great words! When I am feeling my inner self critic sneak up on me I often reflect on these things too…our bodies are truly spectacular machines when you really think about it. We breathe and our hearts beat without any attention to it…all these systems work together in ways that are so complex, yet we don’t have to understand all the details of how it works for it to be fully functional. We eat our food and our body assimilates what it needs and gets rid of the rest. Our body makes the right antibodies to help us return to good health when we get a cold…we store memories in this complex computer we call our brain so we can remember what we did yesterday or what it smelled like when our mom cooked our favorite meal…just to scratch the surface. We are all miracles really!
Anne, I love your additional reminder to Pam’s reminder, about all the fantastic parts of our bodies that work together (heart, lungs and brain!). Thank you for your wonderful addition!
Thank you for using your beautiful body to type down this beautifully spirited message.
Lot’s of love, and praise and amaze!
Thank YOU Pam! I love your yoga outfit – it looks like an adult sized “onesie”, or an item of clothing a Dr Seus character might wear- bright, bold and fabulous!
Your words always brighten my day so Thankyou for this perfect reminder that we are all perfect just as we are – no matter what shape, colour or age our body may be, and regardless of how different it may be to the current “ideal body”. (& I totally love the quote from Mae West. I’d definitely rather be me than an imitation of someone else’s idea of the real thing. Amen!”)
Blessings galore and thanks always 🌹
💛❤️💛
Hey Beautiful!
Thanks for this!
Love ya!
Thank you, looking forward to reading your new book, ACIM experiment.
Perfect! Thank you! Needed that reminder today. 😊
Love, love, love this post and hilarious pic. I have those sock slippers too! And I think you are gorgeous! Let’s not try to look like the magazines, that is pure insanity! lol Keep up the yoga practice! And you ARE lucky with good eyes and all! Thanks for always encouraging us to dance with gratitude!
Thank you for this, Pam! “I work out because I love my body, not because I hate it.” My mantra when I’m feeling down about how I look.
This was my favorite story of yours so far. I read you as often as I can and find you so inspirational. I love your positivity and your outlook on life. You certainly have had your challenges, as have I, but you have many more triumphs which make your life colorful and fascinating and a joy to follow. You are insightful, delightful, funny, entertaining and fun. I really enjoy your posts and I want to thank you! Sometimes I get down and forget how fortunate I am and after reading your posts, it is such a refreshing reminder. So happy and grateful a friend turned me on to you! You are like a ray of sunshine on a rainy day with a rainbow!
Wonderful encouraging blog Pam especially for those of us well past your age who when feeling brave enough look at their bodies and can say ‘you’ve served me well, thank you’ many times over. And a thank you too, Pam.?!
Haha well said and very true. Lots of love from New Zealand xo
I love synchronicities! When I discovered I had a PG email, I told myself this is my version of winning the lottery (it instantly makes my day better)……THEN, I read that you wrote about your body lottery! Love it!
I was blessed at a young age (mid teens) by a friend of about the same age who decided I was not “with it” as far as clothes, make-up, hair style, shoes, etc. She insisted that since we were the same size she was going to “fix” me. I was given some stinky stuff to put on after a shower which was also the time for several potions to slather on my hair. I emerged from the bathroom feeling like I’d just taken a bath in a tank of smelly oil and really wanted to go back in for a really decent scrub with good old-fashioned unscented soap. I allowed the farce to continue with the “right” under garments, correct shoes and clothes. Then it was the hair styling (that didn’t go well, i had very short hair), perfume (made me nauseous) and make-up. I darn near broke my neck trying to walk in the high heels to look in the full length mirror. All I saw was a clown, a painted, strangely costumed person who was a charactature of me and I started laughing so hard I did fall off those stupid shoes. My friend was not happy with my reaction. How was I ever going to attract a boyfriend if I didn’t dress “right”? and more in that vein. I stripped off those “proper” clothes, scrubbed off the clown face and stinking perfume and oily stuff with some honest unscented soap, got back in my shirt, jeans, and gym shoes and went home. I never had a problem attracting boyfriends (I had lots more than my friend ever did) and I was a lot happier with my simple dress up clothes and sensible shoes than she ever was with all the hours of prepping and primping and odd mix of scents and the “right” clothes, shoes and accessories. I am so blessed that I am still alive, the old carcase doesn’t work as well as it used to but it was accostomed to physical work every day with none of the odd chemicals many people dose their skin with and things are kind of worn out now (knees and back especially). I will keep creaking around and enjoy my life.
Pam, you always write what I need to read…..Once again thank you for being you!
Thank you!! <3 !!
That was great! Age is not important as how young you feel in your heart. I’m 78 my downward dog is still good! It’s much more important than being a size 6. 🥰✔️💕🙏💕
A message and/or reminder we all need to hear from time to time. Gotta say I LOVE your yoga outfit – makes exercise all the more fun. Thanks for this post.
Hi Pam, I am a big fan of your work. Love Course in Miracles and E-squared. And I love that when I wrote you email you replyed. You are truly an amazing soul! Still reading the book though and highlighting all stuff that is important. Maybe one day I will have your autograph on the first page. 🙂
Love you Pam grout keep it coming kudos to us all how spectacular in Devine we are then and now forever❤nancy
Thanks Pam, looks like you’ve earned your stripes! Great message – THANK YOU!
Much love, Linda.
Sock monkey pajama yoga is the next new big thing!
Love to see your home and Taz!
xox
I love your comments and photos so much. I would love it if you would check out my retired psychiatrist husband’s website:
Intentional-placebo.com
He is dedicated to helping people learn of body mind connection through hypnotic trance.
It is not for just those with Parkinson’s but with all who suffer from physical and emotional pain.
Thank you Pam.
Laurel
Epic “Thank and Grow Rich” mentality…. Love This!
It was such a joy to read this, it made my day, I love the outfit! 🙂
What a lovely read! As always, it is such a pleasure to be a part of your magick. Blessed be!
Yes!!!! Love this!! Holly