365 - Ocean Belly (reposted)

Years ago, as I was reading in bed, my partner gently lifted my shirt to expose my belly.  With his hands, both holding and tracing my soft roundness, he whispered,"You must remember, Little Bear, the sweetness of the belly.  Here lies all that is you, your beauty & your power.". .  How true, yet so easy to dismiss at i tumble through my days.  I notice, often, when doubt or anxiety rule my moments, I am fearful to acknowledge my middle.  At those times i see myself as less than:  lacking definition; too curvy;   unable to stand and be present; unclear & unheard.; I curve inward & forget to breathe.

In the Water, however, all inhibition & timidity vanish.  No mater the source (Lake Michigan, Miacomet's stretch of sand and sea, the cool, deep turns along Vermont rivers, warm & unexpected sunshine cloudbursts, turquoise waters pooling at waterfalls' feet) I am in my belly.  Water holds.  Water is constantly changing & mercurial.  Water is languid, fluid & grace.  It is then I remember that these brooks, lakes & ocean tides are forever moving through me. I feel at home in the water because  they are all within me. Always.  I am forever grateful for those words, as they are a constant reminder of my work:   to walk each day & be held by my watery Self;  to be witness to the sweetness of my Belly.

-  erinelizabeth
17 december 2011
Uvita, Costa Rica