Friends, we are more than the number on the scale
I have made the vow to do my best to silence my inner critic in an effort to help my daughter’s never to surface. But it’s hard and today, I failed and the inner citric came out in full force.
A friend and I were talking today about a possible clothing partnership with Mothering the Divide (exciting!) and I said something about the fact that I haven’t bought new clothes in a while because I want to lose some weight left over from my pregnancy with my daughter.
And you know what? She put me right back on track and reminded me that I am more than the number on the scale. Oh, how lucky am I to hear those words when I need to. And I wondered if you needed to hear them, too?
Friends, we are more than the number on the scale.
We are mothers.
We are grandmothers.
We are wives, partners, aunts, daughters, sisters, cousins, friends.
We are more than the number on the scale.
We are teachers, doctors, nurses, stay-at-home moms, lawyers, therapists, bakers, writers, business owners, bus drivers, college students, and combinations of the above and so much more.
We are more than the number on the scale.
We are confidants and healers, dreamers and realists. We build children up with our words and heal them with our arms.
We are more than the number on the scale.
We practice and learn and are works in progress. We aren’t perfect and we have learned to accept that. It’s unattainable after all, and so, we simply try to be good. Let’s just all try to be good?
We are more than the number on the scale. It doesn’t limit us. It doesn’t define us.
We are strong even if we sometimes feel weak. We are warriors and this is our tribe. We are bonded forever by the common experience of mothering and this sisterhood is oh, so powerful.
We are so many things and so much more than what I’ve listed. I couldn’t possibly list them all. But one thing is for sure: we are more than the number on the scale, and when we forget, we have someone to remind us. And we’ll do the same for her when she needs it. And I’m here to remind all of you.
Your body is the home of your soul and the home of your mind. For each one of you, your body is simply a vessel for the woman you are. Please don’t forget that.
Thanks for Mothering the Divide with me as we all learn we are more than the number on the scale, even if we aspire to change it eventually. Maybe you do that for yourself or maybe you do it for a little girl who is watching your every move with her big blue eyes. Either way, you’re embracing the body that carries your soul and I’m with you. I’m doing it, too.
(Oh, and how perfect that I went to snap this photo and my scale is broken. How glorious. No number. It was just further proof to me that I am more than the number on the scale. The message is clear to me and I’m heeding it tonight on a rainy evening in May. Join me.)