Word of the Week

Love

Definition: an intense feeling of deep affection; a great interest and pleasure in something

Consider this...

What a word: love. How does one even begin to talk about the concept of love while doing it justice? In the absence of my abilities as a Renaissance poet, I am only going to focus on one aspect of love, the aspect of love with which all other love begins: self-love.

That’s what More of Me to Love is all about: learning to love oneself. How can we ever expect others to love us for who we are if we don’t love ourselves for who we are? That is not to imply, of course, this self-love is a simple feet. Our culture has been telling us for decades (which doesn’t even begin to account for the last two millennium) that we should loathe ourselves and our bodies, that we do not deserve to be happy because we are bigger than some Hollywood “ideal,” and that we are somehow morally depraved and weak because we are bigger. Even our friends and family tell us to lose weight or that we are unworthy because of our size.

With all of these invidious external forces trying to convince us not to love ourselves, it’s no wonder that we’ve forgotten how - or never even learned to in the first place. But from here on out this is your life, and you absolutely must love it!

It can be hard to just say, “Okay!” and start loving our bodies outright after lifetimes of self-deprecation. However, there are some simple steps that will help you begin to love your body. Loving your body begins with treating it right, and treating it right is done in two simple fashions: by being aware of what you put into it (nutrition) and making an effort to give it the regular movement it wants (fitness).

Those things, whether you think so or not, will show your body that you love it and are concerned with its well-being. As you realize how good nutrition and fitness (which are not, mind you, related to weight loss) you start to feel a part of the More of Me to Love community. Moreover, you will come to think of your body as a friend and partner that is beautiful just the way it is. And with that you will be able to better love yourself as a person, because you no longer scorn such a present part of who you are.

Now get out there and start loving yourself.