Sunday, September 2, 2012

how i learned to love my legs


For most of my life I loathed what I perceived to be my short, stocky little legs 
while longing for limbs of Bundchen proportions. I figured if I could eat a little less
and do an extra kilometer on the treadmill daily, this goal could be achievable to me.

So I spent years living on salads and shunning ice cream, I jogged, did 
pilates and Bikram yoga, yet to my dismay and confusion my thighs remained 
more Britney than Bundchen.

When I moved out of home, one of the first things I did was adopt me some kitties.
My cats could not be more different: ginger vs grey, long-bodied vs short,
clingy vs aloof, loud vs quiet, and as the way it is with all mummies, I adore 
their socks off, equally.

Snickers, my large ginger boy, is part oriental and has magnificently long legs that he 
uses and displays rather regally. In contrast Ziggy, my sweet tabby, has cute, squat 
stripey legs which he uses to bat balls around and catch mice. 

It occurred to me that Ziggy has short legs bones, and no matter
 how little Whiskas he consumes, or how many birds he chases, 
his pins will never morph into the long, sexy legs of Snickers. And
that's okay. Then it dawned on me, the same principle applied to myself.

 I love Ziggy's little legs and paws to bits and I never forget to tell him so.
I don't care if they are long, short, spotty, plain, fluffy, bald, black, white or green 
- they are Ziggy's legs and I cherish them because they are a part of him. 

I now love and celebrate my own legs - they take me shopping and dancing, 
they have ten toenails which I like to paint red and a couple of years ago, 
they even walked me down the aisle. Love your legs, they are the only ones 
you will ever have. Be kind to them and they will take you on all manner 
of amazing journeys.

11 comments:

  1. awe...this is just too sweet, we all need to learn to appreciate what we have, it's just not always that easy ;)

    xo
    Alex

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  2. Oh you absolute darling Miss P, thank you so much for this beautiful, glorious post - if you don't mind, I would love to direct my readers to this. It's just damn good common sense!!! Hubby and I have very different legs and I marvel at his amazing strong leg muscles, giving me much personal joy as I imagine him in the arena dressed as a gladiator ... oh dear, I think I need a lie-down. xoxo

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  3. Oh so TRUE! Ironically, I look at you in your gorgeous posts, wearing brightly-hued and patterned tights and think "Oh, if I had legs like that I too could wear those..." Bravo. Just what I needed to hear. Thank you x

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  4. :) This is so sweet and really uplifting. There are parts of my body I hate (and desperately wish I could change) yet I know they are just a part of me, and as a whole I have a lot more to offer. It's funny, because I completely agree with PinkPatentMaryJanes! I often think your legs are gorgeous and fantastic! (especially in those tights!) So I'm glad your cats help you see the beauty in being different. xox

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  5. I love this post!!! I often try and remind myself that mine maybe short and my calf muscles may be bigger than most mens but they serve a very good purpose and I am very lucky to have them.

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  6. So it turns out that cats aren't just cute and cuddly - they can also teach us valuable life lessons.

    It's funny that you perceive your legs like this, because I've always thought them to be rather lovely. I've even thought I'd like to have such a nice, shapely pair like yours instead of my weird, stretched out shapeless ones. But then I think, they'd look really rather odd with my body that is much like a 16 year old boy (which I have also come to accept after years of feeling awkward and wanting to change it). I think we have all wanted to change something about our bodies at some point....

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  7. I really like this post. I too have short chunky legs, and it has taken me many of my years to accept and love them as they are.

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  8. Great post! Oh dear I guess the grass is always greener. I do have what you would call 'Bunchen' limbs! I am 5'10 with legs for Africa, and a metabolism that means I can eat anything I want and really never gain weight... you'd think I would be happy! But I'm only just learning to appreciate my body. I was such a tall, gangly, super skinny, clumsy teenager. I still struggle to find trousers that fit because they're not made for legs this long and although people think it would be great to have a fast metabolism it's actually plain exhausting. I have to eat constantly otherwise my blood sugar levels drop and I turn into a dragon, and I drop weight very quickly if I don't keep up my food intake. I could NEVER skip a meal! It took me until a couple of years ago to stop being miserable and really embrace my body and stop wishing I could just be 'normal'! Now I love it! :)
    P.S I always thought your legs look pretty damn good in your pencil skirt outfits!

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  9. hahahaha:O I think THAT THIS is the CUTEST I have seen in a VERY long time:) SO CUTE:) Love Alice

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  10. you crazy lady, your legs are gorgeous! and that photo is just so adorable, you certainly don't want to be there

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