Celebrating me with #assfoldforlife

Summer is my favorite time of year because I absolutely hate my body in pants.  Jeans are great, as long as I spend hours and hundreds of dollars, but I've yet to find a designer who has made a pair of pants that has made me feel as good about myself as I do in a dress or a skirt.  No to mention that dresses are adorable and easy.  They are a one shot deal.  Why, the other day, I considered walking out of the house without underwear on.  Before I had babies, I went commando in a skirt or a dress all summer long.  There's something so cozy about a long summer dress that doesn't need a bra, and if I'm going bra free, why not lose the hankie pankies too?  

Anyhow, my point is not about the brilliance of summer wear as much as it is about the power of the #assfoldforlife campaign designed by the lovely blogger Words By The Glass.  She's the greatest source of comic relief that comes into this otherwise messed up world.  When you visit her blog or follow her on Facebook you will learn all about the #assfold campaign in celebration of our bodies.  

Looking in the mirror and liking what I see has been a rarely occuring event in my life.  BUT, the other day, I looked in the mirror (there's a full length mirror in the girls's room of the high school I work in), and I thought to myself (after a year of working out post baby), "Wow!  Your legs look good!"  Yup, I did.  I had a moment of pride while looking at the reflection of me in the mirror.  Fortunately, no one else was in the ladies room at the time, so I turned myself a round and did a little toe tap thing to admire the definition and muscle tone.  It felt really good.  I thought about blogging about my legs that day, but that just seemed....obnoxious? 

Well, this morning I arrived at work, walked up the stairs, down the hallway, and my lovely colleague said, "Your legs look fabulous!"   Rather than respond with some self-denegrating criticism, I responded with a smiling, "Thank you.  I acutally thought the same thing myself the other day."  I giggled and we chatted about exercise for a few minutes while the sunshine lighting around my heart continued to radiate warmth and gratitude her way.  

On most days, I would read this blog and make some snarky comment about how this bitch is so full of herself, which you may freely do.  Be my guest.  But please do note that I'm definitely not perfect.  Last night I "rowed it" (as a friend says) and devoured an entire row of the Whole Foods version of Oreo cookies.  I did.  What sticks in my head, though, are the words of Jean Kilbourne in her decades long research on advertising and women.  

For far too long, I have fallen into this trap of believing that my body isn't good enough.  It's not thin enough, it's not tone enough, it's been stretched out far enough to leave permanent marks that I have no business showing on a public beach.  In reality, though, I workout really hard--every day.  Even on my days "off" I'm at least out for a walk.  If I'm not going to embrace the results of all that hard work, then what is it all for?  I may not have a six pack like this AMAZINGLY FIT MOM (total stunnah!)

Yet I don't fault her or hate her for my envy.  She looks fantastic, and she inspires me to believe that I too can look like that.  I would really like to have those abs.  Unfortunately, I also really like sweet treats and wine, so I'll settle for being really happy with some great gams.

I'm not interested in shaming anyone for his/her body.  We all have shit going on.  Some of us like to work out, and some of us prefer a 6 pack of a craft brewed IPA.  That is why I LOVED that Ashton Kutcher gave a big Facebook shout out to this:  EMBRACE

I know that it won't be long before I fall back into the state of self-loathing in which I normally reside, so I had to shout out to all the folks who are trying to make me and everyone else feel better about our bodies.  Forgive me for taking a moment to applaud my accomplishments, and I assure you that by tomorrow, I will return to the muffin top discussion and post a picture of my #assfoldforlife.