September 14, 2012

I Have My Grandma's Wings

I have my grandma's wings. I don't mean angel wings, though I'm sure she's earned them up in heaven.

Let me explain. I saw a recent photograph of myself wearing a sleeveless shirt. I was at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, petting a wallabee. My arm was stretched wide, and hanging below said traitor arm was a freaking, flapping, wing!

I knew it was there, but I didn't realize how big until I saw it in a photograph.

Yep, just like grandma's. I remember as a child playing with all that loose skin under her arm, just flopping back and forth (until she got annoyed, that is).

I had no idea it was heriditary.

What else did I inherit from her? Ankles. They turn in just a little bit - not so you'd notice, but - yeah.

Wings and Ankles.

We all have things we don't like about ouselves, and not just physical attributes like I described above. Trust me, there are tons of things I don't like about myself.

Every once in a great while I'll dwell too much on "things." When that happens, I remind myself about what Joel Osteen said in his book, Every Day A Friday:

"When God made you He wasn't having a bad day. He made you to be the way you are on purpose. He finished creating you and then He stepped back and said, "That is good. I like that; another masterpiece." There may be things about you that you don't like, but you can't allow those things to hold you back or keep you from pursuing your dreams."

I like everything about the above sentence, from me being a masterpiece, to not allowing things to hold me back or keep me from pursuing my dreams.  It's motivating. And so I'll keep moving forward, no matter what.

What do you do to deal with things you don't like about yourself? 
 
How do you combat against things or circumstances that seem to conspire against you?
 
What motivates you to keep moving forward?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL! I used to do that to my grandma's arms too. Now my son does it to me. I am really trying to learn to accept me as I am, wings and all. Thanks, Gwen. :)

Gwen Gardner said...

Linda, that is so funny that you had the same experience. The things I forget, but remember at odd times, are sometimes precious - other times - meh! But grandma remembrances are always special:)

J E Fritz said...

I deal with those things as I deal with everything: through violence. You could say that's what I inherited ;)

Shallee said...

Oh, I know just how you feel. I've found that whenever I get down about the things I don't like about my body, going for a run actually helps that a lot. My body feels capable and strong, and that's a great feeling.

Thanks for joining the Healthy Writers Club, by the way!

Gwen Gardner said...

Jeanne, I know what you mean. But I've rather learned to control it and think before acting. For the most part:)

Shallee, I'm never sorry after going for a run - I always feel great. It's the getting there that gives me problems!