Every Body is a Summersalt Body
Dear Body,
As much as I’ve talked about you, this is really one of the first times I’m talking to you. We’ve spent 42 years together and yet on some days I feel like we’re still getting to know each other. And like all relationships, especially in the most intimate ones, together we’ve had some of the highest highs. And lowest lows.
Over the years, you have been an inspiring source of power and confidence for me. I remember the first time I felt limitless with you - we stood en pointe, spinning in sync with the music as I completed a series of fouettes for the first time. I knew then whether it was dance, gymnastics or climbing 18,000 feet to the top of Cerro Toco, you would always be there, ready to take on any challenge.
Well, except one. In 2015, I felt like you betrayed me. What happened to us? Why would you abandon me? Why would you not do the one thing I knew in my heart I was born to do? Infertility left me feeling broken and in despair and I blamed it all on you. I turned my back on us and said horrible things about you out of anger and frustration – but through it all, your loyalty was unwavering. You met every unkind word with forgiveness. But most of all, you met my fear with faith. And ultimately after a brutal six-year battle against all odds, you gave me the greatest gift of all. My Santiago.
“As each curve changed and grew and grew and grew, I watched along in awe. ”
You looked so unfamiliar in the mirror, but I knew this was exactly where we were supposed to be. I learned to love myself deeper because of you and I also started to trust beyond the body that I could see.
In the hardest moments – when my mind said I can’t, you said we will.
Together we found a new level of strength and a power that goes beyond the physical. And beyond us. For the moment, you aren’t just mine. And that’s ok. You are comfort, warmth and pure love for Santi. And I’m so grateful that I get to share you with him.
And one day soon, when it’s just the two of us again, I promise to always honor every inch of you.
My body is
Abundant.
My body is
Resilient.
My body is a Summersalt body.
Love, Me
On my very first Mother’s Day, Summersalt gave me the platform to redefine what motherhood looks like in your 40’s—we’re not bouncing back, we’re showing up stronger and more confident than ever before. For our babies, but more importantly for ourselves.
Tap here to check out the inspiring women who I’m honored to have joined in Summersalt’s “Every Body is a Summersalt Body” campaign and celebrate the joy, beauty and power in EVERY body.