Sacking the body double

Until yesterday, I looked at my angels and saw two mini versions of me.

 

Mini-Me 1:  A pre-baby body.  A pre-Mr Lucky, pre-debt, pre-stress, and exhaustion from cleaning cooking working, and caring (not in that order). A fit, healthy, rested body - a result of sleeping in till 2 pm after five nights of solid clubbing, hence laughing, exercising, flirting, and genuinely enjoying life. An occasionally clumsy, happy, cool cat that moved in different social circles with lots of friends. 

 

Mini-Me 2: Post-baby body. A doughy soft, perpetual beginners level yogi, with a LOVE  of good food, a select group of very very good friends sprinkled with a blessing of earth angels who have made me laugh, be grateful for what I have, and who encouraged me to appreciate the small things, and become someone filled with endless buckets of positive affirmations, a sun worshiper in a bikini with that 'I know, I shouldn't, but I  am happy and it's comfortable' face.

  

So, one of my light of all lights told me that she was going to stop wearing a bikini. Someone had body-shamed her - no prizes for guessing which version of Mini-Me had been on the receiving end of this disgusting vitriol.  I was furious.  

What sort of world do we live in - when an adult body shames a child?  

We discussed different body shapes and sizes. We discussed diet and keeping a balance. We talked about exercise. We talked about people and perceptions. We explored the concept of beauty and feelings.  When I was done talking and I thought I had plastered together the shattered pieces of self-confidence as best as I could, we packed up, put on bikinis, and went to the beach. 

For hours, my gorgeous Mini Me's weaved and wandered up and down the beach with other children.  Their intertwined carefree, happy, uninhibited, unrestrained laughter slapped me in the face, hard.  

I could make out their individual laughs, expressions, postures, and realised the body double image had to go.

Each Mini-Me is owed a BIG ME a better me to build them up, help them celebrate their individualism, aid them in navigating through the nastiness, bitterness, and toxicity that people and the planet throws their way - and help them dig deep into themselves, their soul and throw the ugliness out and stay grounded, real, carefree, happy, healthy, confident. Forever.

The body double image has been fired, sacked, thrown out - gone.