So a few days ago I had a (very thorough) health check thanks to this scheme from work. For the hypochondriac in me, it was heaven because it just gave me the peace of mind I crave. So for about three hours I did blood and urine tests, I got an ECG, I had my spine scanned, my lung capacity tested, body measurements taken, I had my ability to cope with stress tested, amongst other things.
The thing that struck me about half way there was to see how my past showed on all the tests and scans. Beyond everything I inherited through my DNA and the lifestyle I chose to maintain or change, I could clearly see the physical markings of my past on those tests. How my years of singing have affected and reshaped my lung capacity, how the short and irregular yoga sessions have stretched my spine flexibility, how more than a decade of dancing has impacted my muscle resistance and responses. I could see, black on white, how the changes I made in terms of diet and exercise over the last 18 months have made my body ten years younger. And I would see how those seemingly innocuous meditation practices have given me a completely new and abnormal control of my stress levels.
I've read it multiples (over a plethora of forums) that over the course of seven years your body replaces every single cell that makes you you. This means that we are literally completely new people from the individuals we were seven years ago. Everything changes over time. In fact, change is the essence of life. And I love my body for embracing it. I really, really do.
Despite how stubborn and pig-headed I can be sometimes, despite how scarred I've been and the amount of emotional baggage I've carried over the years, my body keeps embracing change. Like it's nothing, as if it's this effortless thing. My body teaches me hope. It shows me how the little things I do today can help reshape the person I will be tomorrow. So I choose to shine today, not just for my sake, but for my tomorrow self.
Bring it on.
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