The Real Body: nature vs. society

The real body.

What do real unadulterated, unrefined, non-supplemented, non 24 hour - fitnessed bodies even look like?

We see all these images in media this day in age. From Facebook to Instagram, Twitter to blogs, magazines to commercials, YouTube vlogs, all with a variety of displays telling us what the best and the worst look like. Instagram hosts thousands of profiles that swear by their plates of food and their work out clips. They will tell you its easy and the money is worth it. Just start by following them (literally and figuratively); you can get that "perfect" post, too.

The key words there are get and perfect.

Get: You can get it, meaning it's not natural, you have to do something(s) too achieve it.

Perfect: what does that even mean? Perfect body? What scale measures body perfect levels?

That reminds me of this guy I met at a patio restaurant once while eating with a friend. Granted, I am slightly convinced he was on drugs as he was asking us for a dollar to spare and if he could borrow our phones, but that isn't the point... he was obviously extremely smart based on the verbiage he used, almost so stuck in his high IQ he couldn't figure out how to function and fit in with society, so at some point he turned to drugs. Yes that is my analysis of him and I'm sticking to it. Still not the point... The point: in his long speel of random information he said "what makes a triangle a triangle? Who decided a 3 - sided object was to be designated by the name triangle? What if I want to call it something else? What makes me wrong if I wanted to call that by another name? Why is it society conforms by the terminology and decisions of others?

Who gets bothered by what a shape (a triangle) is named? This guy... but seriously, think about it. He really does have a point...

Why is it that society conforms to what others determine is the perfect body shape? Who decided a triangle was to be called a triangle and who decided what the perfect body looks like?

Who decided that the perfect shape for a woman is either supermodel worthy long and lean, or Kim Kardashian-esque firm and curvy. Your hair has to be multi-toned, soft curl capable and your eye lashes need to be a certain length. And, by the way, nothing in between is good enough to be deemed the "best" on a magazine cover Who decided for a man you need to be the "perfect" combination of tall enough, strong enough, muscular enough, tan enough, with a certain style of hair (& make sure you don't have too much body hair, gentleman)?

Not one of the above? Don't worry, that society that determined the standards above have plenty of solutions:

Botox
Fillers
Injectibles
Highlights
25 types of curling/straightening irons
Blow bars (hair salon blow bars that is)
Hair products times infinity
$50-$500+++/month weight loss & fitness programs
   Cross fit
   Boot camp
   Spin
   Body pump
   Les Mills
   T25
   Brazilian buttlift
   PiYo
   Countless other DVDs
   Shakeology
   Body by Vi
   Quest
   Pre-packaged "fit" meals
   Garcinia cambogia
   B 12 shots
   Nutrisystems
   Countess other fad diets
Miracle oils
Anti-cellulite creams
Hair implants
Hair dye
Laser & other hair removal
Implants
Liposuction
Other surgical procedures
Chemical peels
Skin bleachers, tanners, and "correctors"
Other skin treatments
Countless brands of the "best coverage" make up
Younique & Co eyelash length enhancers
Tattooed-thick eyebrows
And many, MANY more...

We haven't even talked about getting dressed yet. But when you do, don't forget your Spanx control and/or enhancement hoses before you put on whatever society has deemed as the "it" wardrobe choice.

Don't know what's "hip" this season? Flip your TV channel, browse the latest Internet fashion blog or runway magazine, and only after by way of society you've determined what you MUST HAVE, add to shooping cart. Worry how you'll pay for them along with the solutions and enhancers listed above later.

Rent, or Crossfit pre-Botox paired with 3-tone highlights, a Mac makeover & Louis Vuitton? We know...life is full of the toughest of choices.

Ya know what? Maybe you like the fitness program you participate in. Maybe you like getting your hair blown out and curled. Maybe you love your Shakeology every single morning. Maybe you prefer tattooed eyebrows over your real ones. Maybe you'd rather pay for hair removal than shave. Good for you.

But, and this is a huge but... who are you doing it for? Yourself? Or society's self?

Ode to the original point...
Do we even know what a real body looks like anymore?

Unconditional Love... to me, from me.

Unconditional Love. How would you define that?

Unconditional: not subject to any conditions

Love: an intense feeling of deep affection

Unconditional Love: affection without any limitations

I bet there is something in this world you have unconditional love for. A child, a pet, a significant other, a family member, a great friend, cooking perhaps?

Let's say you have been gone at a long day of work. You come home, anticipating coming home to your beloved young pup. No matter how long your day, you know this pup will lighten up your day with the joy it brings to your life. After all, no matter how your day has gone, you KNOW this pup will be over-the-top excited to see you and greet you with warmth and love.

You walk in the door with a smile, and you are greeted at door front by the one you love... seeing the pups excitement to see you makes you forget about your long day almost instantly. You walk a little further into your home, and find a huge mess...

What happens? Do you stop loving the pup?

At first, you feel frustrated and angry because after your long day, dealing with a mess is the LAST thing on your to-do list. You clean up the mess, rolling your eyes and possibly huffing and puffing. But, as you look back at your beloved, you realize no one is perfect. The pup isn't perfect and it doesn't have to be; the poor thing couldn't hold it, and made a mistake all over your kitchen floor (at least it was on the tile, right?). Ughh... Shortly after cleaning the mess, you get over it, move on, and you love your puppy all the same. "Shit happens..."

That is an example of unconditional love.

Ideally, we should all have unconditional love for ourselves. But the truth is, many of us would give more unconditional love to a pet than we do for ourselves.

If we can say, "oh well, shit happens..." when it comes to a pet, why can't we do that for ourselves? Why can't we easily forgive and go on loving ourselves for all that WE are worth? For all that WE bring to this world and to those in our lives? Why are we not as worthy as a puppy dog?

Over the years, I have had to really buy into the fact that I deserve unconditional love. I don't always make the best decisions, I don't always treat myself the way I should, I don't always take the best care of my heart, mind and soul... but what I always do now is forgive myself for my shortcomings.

A puppy doesn't have to be perfect to be loved, and neither do I...

Love, unconditionally, to me, from me.