Giving Thanks, One Body Part at a Time

It's a week that many of us in America choose to focus on thankfulness and gratitude. And where better to start than with something many of us are not thankful enough for: our bodies. We may moan, groan, whine, complain, bitch, , and despair over our bodies, but rarely are we truly grateful for the miracles we inhabit. Ever look back at photos of yourself from your twenties and say "Why the hell didn't I appreciate THAT?" My skin was smooth, you could bounce a quarter off my ass, there were no ripples, wrinkles, or dimples (other than in my cheeks, the ones on my face thank you very much.)

Well guess what? We're going to be eighty someday (at least I hope so) and we're going to look back at these bodies we have right now and say "Why the hell didn't I appreciate THAT?" Everything works! It doesn't take me twenty minutes to get out of bed in the morning or use the bathroom. I still have all my teeth, and don't wear bifocals. My skin doesn't look like a topo map of the Badlands.

So in this week of gratefulness, let's take a moment and pick a body part to be thankful for each day. We can start the day with something easy. Not one of the toughies, not the backs of our thighs or the wiggly part on our upper arms. Let's just appreciate something good. Mine today is my feet. A friend in karate the other day said "you're so lucky,  you have good feet" and you know what? She's right! My arches are high and steady, my feet are flexible enough to kick strongly when I swim. I don't get blisters when I run. Not even in the Ironman did I get one single blister. That's a minor miracle right there. I don't have bunions, corns, warts, plantar fasciitis, ingrown toenails or varicose veins. My feet work. Day in and day out. A ten mile run on a rocky trail, two hours of karate barefoot on the mats. They work. I love them. Today I am thankful for my feet.

What about you? What's an easy body part to be grateful for today?