I Don’t Want To Hear It This Summer

I don’t want to hear that your arms are too imperfect to deserve to be kissed by the sun.

I don’t want to hear that the way your body folds when you sit by the pool stopped you from catching up with that friend you’ve been missing.

Or that the way your body moves kept you from enjoying your run on the beach.

It happens every year: the ads flow in, reminding us of all the things we need to change about our bodies before we dare show them to the world in summer clothes. We’re told that we don’t get to relax into enjoying time with family if we didn’t “earn it”.

Thus, summer can make us feel exposed and vulnerable.

The good news is the season itself doesn’t discriminate. Sunlight will boost your serotonin whether you are your ideal size or not. Regular breaths of fresh air can help ease your anxiety whether you have visible muscles or not. And time spent with loved ones will soothe your soul unrestricted by your body.

So I don’t want to hear, from myself or anyone else, that the way you look is holding you back from the beauty outside this season. Because you deserve to feel the wind on your face and the sun on your back. You deserve to chase your kids freely and fall on the ground laughing with them without being preoccupied by your appearance. You deserve to experience summer to it’s fullest, exactly as you are the moment it begins.