Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A trip down memory lane...

Today was quite interesting.  I went down to BalletMet (you have to capitalize the M...you have to!) and shadowed a friend of mine who works in the marketing and development of the company.  The work he does is really incredible considering all of the different aspects he has to juggle, not to mention the ability to utilize creativity while still keeping everything in order.  I'm not too much closer to targeting what my ideal job is, but I have a feeling it will be more of a journey than a destination :)

One thing that I think some stress too harshly is having an ideal job or the ultimate career goal.  Not saying having goals is a negative thing -- you have to have something that motivates you -- but sometimes when your mind is so focused on one thing you lose sight of what is really important.  You may even miss out on something that was better than what you originally wanted, you know?

Being back at BalletMet is always nice and somewhat melancholy.  Today for some reason I just kept thinking about body image.  Naturally, being in a place where I was constantly critiquing myself and comparing my body to other people brings back this (really sucky) feeling.  
Body image fascinates me in a way.  I would love to be able to travel back through time and see how women in the past viewed themselves.  Did they care as much as we do now?  What about when it was actually beautiful to be more full-figured?  Would a skinny girl actually be the one feeling insecure about herself?  Did they go to great lengths to have younger looking skin or use numerous products to cure a zit?   Were women constantly worrying about breakouts, or was the topic of weight a common conversation amongst them?

Being healthy and participating in a lifestyle that respects your body is important, of course.  But I've gotta say, sometimes trying to look good all the time just gets tiring!  What's even more frustrating is when it's not even making yourself happy.  Whether you're trying to perfect yourself for a sport, the opposite sex, or that little voice inside your head that tells you you're not good enough or pretty enough, it will never be enough.   It can become an idol and take over your life, and for a lot of Americans (girls especially) I think its become a very real issue.  Of course, its a mental thing.  Its something you have to work through, and it will always be a hot topic as long as there are yo-yo diets and Oprah telling us we all have to try her mealplan so we can lose 50 pounds overnight.

The thing is, we are created in God's image.  Sometimes I forget that, "hey I have legs that work and I can see just fine and I've never even been to the hospital."  I'm pretty lucky and that's something I should be thankful for and praise God for keeping me safe instead of complaining about everything I think is wrong.  The truth is, God knit me together in my mother's womb and has a perfect plan for my life.  I'd say that's pretty amazing!  In Natalie Grant's book, she says "Who am I to question the craftsmanship of the Creator of the Universe?"  I say:  tru dat sister.