Ode To My Belly

I've been thinking a lot about my stomach lately. Usually in quite negative terms. It's funny, really, that this particular body part should bug me so much when, in reality, my butt and thighs are bigger. But it does, and always has. I've never had a flat stomach, even before kids. My grandpa didn't, either - I can remember as a kid catching him in his undies once and being surprised at how much his tummy stuck out. So I guess, like the batwings I inherited from my grandma, it's at least somewhat genetic. But lately age has started making its presence felt - or at least gravity has. Things are sagging more than they used to, including my belly. And that C-section didn't help much, either.

However, today I want to praise it. To stop being mad at it and start acknowledging the good points about it. Why? Because it doesn't seem likely that it's going away anytime soon, so I might as well stop criticizing it, and myself.

Belly, here are the things I appreciate about you:

1. You carried three children. Two to full-term. I can't touch you without remembering what it felt for you to be big and round and full of babies.

2. The cats love to paw you. Apparently you remind them of their own kitty mommies' bellies, and kneading you can be quite fun.

3. You make a nice shelf for holding ice cream, or any other kind of bowl. Not as much as when you were big with babies, but still a nice shelf, nonetheless.

4. You actually don't feel too bad. I may think you are unattractive when I see you in the mirror, you may be bigger than current beauty standards, but really, if I rub you you just feel like skin - and nice, soft skin at that!

5. You distract me from the reality of my butt.

6. You can be fun to jiggle!

7. You're mine, you're part of me, and gosh darn it, I'm gonna like you!

8. You did help me pen a bit of verse:

"Oh sweet belly, large and big and round
I'd love for you to be quite small and flat.
And though you're not, I'm truly grateful that
At least for now you don't reach to the ground."