An Open Letter to My Body
dear body,
thank you for just being present, even when i feel like i’m not.
thank you bones and adipose tissue for supporting me, whether i’m just sitting
or falling down the stairs after tripping on nothing.
thank you immune system for getting me through a lifetime of illnesses and ailments, and thank you hands for allowing me to write and type and hold things
with my opposable thumbs and play the piano and ukulele and guitar
and all of those other cool things.
and thanks feet, by the way, for pressing down on the pedal of the car and piano
so i can bend an inanimate object to my will.
and thanks sensory receptors for allowing me to still feel, even when i feel nothing inside.
thanks ears for allowing me to hear the music that has helped to save my life
and listen to my parents’ wise words,
and thank you eyes for the countless starry twilights, colorful sunsets,
and youtube videos you’ve allowed me to see.
also, eyes, thanks for letting me see the faces of the family and friends that i adore, and thanks for allowing me to see the beauty in the blue of his.
thank you, mind, for gifting me with my wit and humor and depressing thoughts,
and i guess i’ll just add my brain as an honorable mention.
brain, you make me feel like i’m dreaming all of the time
and your control of my serotonin levels is horrendous,
but thanks for controlling my body processes and stuff
because i guess that’s pretty cool.
thank you heart for pumping life through my veins
and for continuing to beat even though i wish you wouldn’t sometimes.
thank you, body, for not letting me drown that one time at wisehaven
and for allowing me to ride my first bike with the pink streamers
and for allowing me to know what falling for someone feels like.
and thank you, most importantly, for being mine.
i don’t appreciate the stubborn fat you keep on my belly
no matter how hard i try to get rid of it
and no, i don’t appreciate the fact that you’re wired for anxiety and blood clots,
but i still love you because at the end of the day, you’ll never let me down.
you and i, we’re stuck together,
but that’s okay because without you,
i would not still be alive right now to see another day.
so thanks, dude.
love always,
me.