The Salmon-to Kitten Analogy

Holy moly guacamole!

Guys, last night something happened and I felt like my entire life flipped around. It was almost like thinking that all this time I had been a salmon. But then someone tapped me on my tail and said, "I'm sorry Jeannie. You are not a salmon. You are whatever you want to be."

And, since I've always thought fish were freaky and ugly creatures, I immediately turned into this kitten:

adorable, right?

Makes sense? No? What?! You didn't follow my salmon-to-kitten analogy?

Ok, I shall try again.

Yesterday was a day. Not in the good way. To try and get rid of some incredibly annoying and painful, constant migraines, my doctor has me on a run of meds. These meds turn me into a freaky, emotional, cranky version of myself. And yesterday, all day, everyone seemed convinced that it was their personal mission to chip away at my patience and positivity. All day. Everyone. Co-workers, customers, random people driving cars, my husband (he is a saint. Seriously. The things I said and did yesterday... I should have been locked away. But instead, he cuddled me. Cause he is that amazing) and myself.

I was ready to strangle myself because I kept saying awful things, but I couldn't stop myself!

However, I digress.

The crowning glory of horribleness to this awful day was how I felt about my body. I didn't feel beautiful. I felt fat. I felt awful. And my Doctor had told me how much I weighed (before I could tell her not too) and that had me spinning in the completely wrong direction. I was on the verge of a binge-eating frenzy. (cause, you know, that totally makes sense. You feel incredibly fat, so you just stuff yourself until you want to cry and then not eat for a week. Good one Jeannie.)

But then, my husband pointed me to this news article (cause he thought I would enjoy it) which then led me to this website which then completely changed my life and the way I view myself (this is the part where I turned into an amazing, adorable kitten). These twin sisters, Lindsay and Lexie Kite, are trying to literally redefine beauty. And boy are they doing an amazing job.

After reading a bunch of their articles about how women are trained from birth to view themselves and their bodies by the media, something hit me. I am the only Jeannie. I have the only Jeannie body. So who in the name of trufala trees can tell me how my body is supposed to look?

I have been believing ALL of these messages from the media, from men who have been duped by the media. I have been taught that my appearance actually is a measuring stick of my worth. I was actually told that if I was fat, no one would like me, and that they were only telling me this to protect me from future pain. (of course, the pain inflicted was much worse than anything else that could have happened). How wrong were they?!

We need to realize that "we are capable of more than being looked at." Our power lies within us. As we become more educated, empowered and self-assured that we are worth everything no matter what we look like then we have won a battle. We do not need to be a certain size, weigh a certain amount or look a certain way to have power. Beauty isn't skin deep. It starts from within. It begins in the depths of the softest part of our soul, and it radiates outward. When you feel empowered and intelligent and happy, you take care of your body.

Healthy is happy. Healthy is beautiful. Healthy starts from the inside and works its way out. And healthy looks different for everyone.

I will no longer be listening to the media. I will not be objectified. I will not let someone else's idea of perfection shape what I believe I should be. I have gifts and talents and life and laughter that only I can contribute to this world. And that is beautiful.

Are you ready to join me on this journey? Over the next while I will be sharing my experience and the steps I am taking to change my perception of beauty. I will be critically analyzing all of the media images and messages I run into. I will be changing my life. And I want you to join in. Start now, and let's redefine beauty.

(Linking this to Tuesday Facts by Nicholl)