7 Body Takes

Well, the end of a week, the end of a month. How ‘bout some quick takes?

One
The promised storm, yesterday, finally did materialize just in time to wrap things up at church and send the children out to their labors. They came back soaking wet and heavy-laden  candy.

Meanwhile, I took the exhausted Eglantine home straight from church, dumped three bags of candy into her bucket, and convinced her to go to bed. She is still asleep, thank goodness. What a long week it’s been for her.

Two
I’ve already mentioned this, but I am super happy that body positivity is out, and body neutrality is in. In other words, you don’t have to celebrate it, or hate it, as Jameela Jamil says, “I can just not think about it,” or something like that. I mean, I am totally on board with this idea. Let’s just not think about it.

Unfortunately, body neutrality, while maybe better than body negativity and positivity, if it really is “just not thinking about it” isn’t really better, or, at least, not Christian.

Thinking about the body is so essential, so intuitive, so instinctual that we do it all the time without really “thinking” about it. Maybe “fretting” would be a better word. I bring all this up, because I think Christians should start, in opposition to body neutrality and self care, a Body Caring moment, wherein we care for the bodies of others in a dignified, gracious, and kindly way, as well as our own….

Oh Wait! We already have it, it’s called The Body of Christ.

Three
Because, I’m not kidding you, leggings are out and body stockings are in. That’s a big no. (No link because oh my word.)

Four
But so is that IFB preacher who can’t stop telling people what to wear from the pulpit. Oh my word, just stop.

Five
The thing about Halloween or any kind of dressing up, is the thrill of trying to step into some other kind of person, to inhabit, for an evening, the clothes and personality of somebody else, which shows you, at the end of the day, when you strip it all off, that you really are yourself, that your body is what it is, that it deserves the big bucket of candy you pushed it to earn, that it is fun to stretch towards something uncomfortable for a while, and then to creep back into your own self.

Six
Interesting as a counterpoint to carefully moving this wounded arm through time and space, all of us together trying to take care, is if it were our own arm, though it belongs to only one of us.

Seven
Thank goodness it’s All Saints today, and October has finally left the building. Go check out more takes!