FRIDAY GRATITUDE
Grateful for All the Details of my Body and How it Helps me Live, Love and Breathe
Oh, all the details that the Grand Creator thought about when creating your body
Amaze me, Spirit. Grateful for your presence and how You amaze and keep me as healthy as possible. Thank you for the detail and intricacies of how You created my body to keep me breathing and full of life.
To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted by others. You need to accept yourself. —Thich Nhat Hanh
Have you ever thought about the delicate way your body is created?
Let’s start with some interesting (and fun) facts:
- on average, you blink 20 times a minute. That means you blink 10 million times per year.
- although you stop growing (in height) once you hit puberty, your ears, nose, and feet keep growing. I can attest to this as my feet grew by a US half-size!
- a human develops fingertips while they are in the embryo (generally about 3 months after conception)
- when a person blushes, it is felt in the lining of their stomach too — as in, the stomach lining turns red as well
- your heart can sync to the rhythm of music
- your small intestine is much taller than you — 23 feet
- your right kidney is positioned just slightly lower than your left kidney
- because your body is made up of trillions of cells, those cells can, without any control, form cancer. When each cell divides and conquers, each cell with 30,000 genes, there is a wild chance that your trillions of cells might have fought off cancer
- I have often felt like there is a brain-gut connection. Apparently, I’m right! When there is stress in your body or a brain disorder, your digestive system can be affected.
- the smallest bone in your body exists in your inner ear
- your body contains more than 600 muscles
- your brain is made up of 60% fat
- the largest organ of your body — the skin — holds, within a single square inch — 300 sweat glands and 19 million cells
- your hand and wrist contains roughly 54 bones
And that’s just a short list of the many details that went into creating your body.
The gratitude I have for my body
The other thing that your body holds is trauma. I am thankful that I have learned how to listen to my body when triggered. It is not something I am afraid of. I listen and then turn to meditation.
I am grateful for the short list of interesting and fun ways my body was created, moves and breathes, and gives me life.
I am grateful for the 108 bones (54 bones x 2) in my hands that curve and bend and help me hold things. I am thankful for the bones in my fingers that bend and reach for the keys on my laptop as I write.
I am grateful for the oxygen that gets carried to all the cells in my body, keeping me breathing and alive.
I am thankful for my feet that help me stand tall and walk. And, if there are 54 bones in just your hand and wrist, can you imagine how many bones are in your feet? There are 26 bones. All those bones to be thankful for. Each and every one.
I am thankful for my arms that allow me to carry things, hug people, hold my pooch, and hug myself.
I am thankful for the muscles in my lips that help me smile, speak, eat, and drink.
I am thankful for my legs that allow me to walk, run, and hold up my torso, neck, and head.
What about you? How are you grateful for the inner workings of your body?
Reflection
Maybe you’re fighting a disease or illness. Maybe you’re in a wheelchair. Maybe you’re not any of those things. Maybe you’re a healthy person.
Whatever health state your body is in, how are you grateful for the inner workings of your body?
If you are struggling with illness, cancer, or disease, what would you like to say to God? What prayers have you once prayed but have long forgotten? Revive them now. Think about how those prayers, once uttered from the recesses of your soul, have drifted up to heaven. What would you like to add or subtract from those prayers?
Putting it into practice
When you feel your body tense or your mind scatter, and you need some peace, why not try this lovely mindfulness practice from @vidya
When you find your body tense but are in a public space, especially a business meeting, remind yourself that your body is constantly working. How can you be patient and relax at that moment?
Adapted from Desmond Tutu’s prayer — Disturb us O Lord
Disturb us, O Lord
When we take our bodies for granted When we move too quickly When we push our bodies too far And stumble because of it
Disturb us, O Lord
When we forget to drink enough water To keep our organs, cells, and inner workings of our body healthy and strong When, having fallen in love with time, We have ceased to keep pace with slow time We have ceased to honor the body You have created for us And in our efforts think we are building the right health plan Instead of looking to You
Stir us, O Lord
To dare to keep healthy To drink the water Move our bodies Keep our minds nimble And do everything we can To keep our bodies, minds, and souls healthy That we would not lose sight of You
Thank you for the body you have created just for me.
Cause me to hesitate when I am the one creating the imbalance in my body Cause me to rejoice when I keep my body in balance Cause me to hesitate when I don’t love myself enough to stay healthy Because as I honor my body, I honor You, God.
Amen.
Be healthy. Be well. Be kind.
May you know that you are loved because you matter. May your soul be refreshed.
