She was Beautiful

When I tell you that she was old, it's not enough. Think biblical. Sarah, if you will. She was older than the sprightly grandmothers you see having lunch at Nordstroms after an afternoon of having their nails and hair done. She was old. No. Older than that. Small, wrinkled, bent over; with age spots, and spindly legs and a wide smile that showed only a few teeth. Her swimsuit-yes, I said swimsuit- bagged over her shapeless body, covering a small potbelly. But she was steady on her feet as she adjusted her swimcap, and slowly headed up the stairs towards the pool gripping the stairwell.

The New Year brings so many resolutions to lose weight and get fit. And our society tells us how to do it quick and fast as if being in shape and being shapely are things we must achieve before we get too old. But we're never done with being fit. We don't get to check it off, before we move on to the next item. And fitting into our size 10 jeans is really not the point of learning a new healthier lifestyle. The point is 20, or 30, or 50 or even 70 years from now, getting up early on a New Years eve morning and being able to swim, to move, and to live our lives on our own two feet-slow but steady. The woman at the Y this morning was old. No, *much* older than that. And she was beautiful. Your body is a blessing. For today-be thankful of it.