#strongasawoman

A running (no pun intended) joke in my family, my cousin’s young son once asked me, “How did your legs get so big?”

While some ladies may take this as an insult, I found sweet Kaleb’s innocent question to be a compliment.  How did my legs get to be so big, little guy?  I’ll tell you.

My legs have gotten to be so big from playing roughly 7,000 hours of soccer, 4,000 hours of basketball, and 3,000 hours of softball over the past 27 years. Running four half marathons and one full marathon over a total of 680 minutes hasn’t hurt either.   My body is strong so that I can hold Plank, Tree, and Chair poses as long as I’d like.  I can throw a good upper cut at my boxing coach, Matt Morin, can propel my body (somewhat) swiftly through a lake or pool, and can bike uphill faster than 200-pound men, too. Yesterday, my strong body helped me complete my first sprint triathlon. And might I add that my trusty body has been doing all of this with my new ACL, which I acquired in 2006.  Nice job on my surgery, Dr. Fenton!

Woodnote Photography

At work, my strong body helps me serve as a physical therapist for hundreds of infants, toddlers, children, and teenagers annually. I hop, skip, climb stairs, lift, balance, and run continuously for several hours every day, and I get paid to do so.  Fun, right?!  At home, I mow my grass, take my dog for walks, bear-hug my husband, and carry loads of clean laundry up and down the stairs with my big, strong body.  And yes, I AM all about that bass (shout out to my girl, Meghan Trainor!)

I am so strong that I swept my husband off his feet when I first met him at a pick-up soccer game, at which, I was one of two women playing in a sea of twenty grown men. (Yeah, Elizabeth Crane!)  I proceeded to lift my husband up on our wedding day, and when we just moved into our new home, I thought it’d be better if I carried HIM through the doorway, rather than have him carry me through.  (No offense, Kurt… I love you like crazy, and I think YOU are so strong, too!)

My legs aren’t my only big feature, sweet Kaleb. If you’re wondering, I have a pretty big heart and a pretty big brain, too.  My strong heart allows me to comfort parents who have lost their children, to encourage young kiddos who are struggling with cancer and other illnesses, and to build up my husband, parents, and sisters when they’ve had hard days. My strong brain has helped me through twenty years of somewhat strenuous academics, and it helped me earn a doctorate at the age of 23. I am strong enough to know when I need help, and when I need to slow myself down.

One day, I pray that my strong body allows me to bring new lives into this beautiful world.  I pray that I can provide sustenance to my babies, and I pray that I will have the strength to carry on day after day while my infant and toddlers transform me into one tired mama.  I will use my strength to lift my babies off the changing table, to throw my kids into the pool, and to finally send them off to college, where they will be able to further grow and develop into strong individuals, too.

So, you wonder, am I as strong as a man?  No, I am as strong as a woman, and that is pretty damn strong.

Thank you, Mom and Dad, for helping me grow into a strong, confident woman.  Girls, young and old, celebrate your beautiful bodies, and be PROUD of who you are!

God bless you, Serena.  Thank you for being #strongasawoman.