Dear Body,
A bit after 4 AM on a June day in 1949 you came into form and happened to bring me with you.
All of life is the two of us together. I am never really alone.
You are the vessel, the container that holds my entire life. From the moment we joined together in this world we have been inseparable. You hold my life together with muscles, tendons, veins, a whole miraculous system of organs that dance together, cells that are spectacular, and all in sync such that you have allowed me all the things I have done.
You are the record of them all, no matter what I leave in writing. Only you know every single detail. I bet you even remember when I learned cursive writing. You knew it would come in handy on a morning like this when I wanted to slow down, for it slows me down and brings me into a quiet flow. It is why I ended up writing to you…to thank you.
We are in this together right now. During this time I want to especially honor you, care for you, protect you and hold you as sacred. This is not a frivolous time but a time that when separated from all else I have you as a companion, so I'm paying special attention. We eat together, hopefully in particularly nourishing ways. We walk together. We sit together. We sleep together and you hear every word I say, which comes from the ability you give me to speak. I’m sure sometimes you cringe.
Thank you, glorious body of mine, even with all of what I have been programmed to think are imperfections, not enough, too fat, too thin, and oh, yes, you’ll soon be witness to helter-skelter hair, but that, too, is cells that are yours so we’ll be ok. I am giving up so many labels right now that have been imprinted and the thousands of pages of magazine ads I bought into over the years. You must have wondered at times, “Why are you wearing THAT?” of “Why are you putting that on your skin?” All those external voices that do not know you, that do not know you and me together. I choose to listen only to you right now for the cues and the wisdom.
I also know that my spirit and soul take shelter in you. They, too, are life itself, and the together we will get through whatever number of earth planet years we have, in joy and laughter along the way, even now. Maybe some music and dancing, too. All company for the moment when it might feel a bit lonely. Once in a while I even read out loud to you.
I am committing to being your best protection plan ever. I don’t come with guarantees of 120 years but hey, whatever the number, your protection is a priority.
I will also do all I can, with you and spirit and soul, to not risk the other bodies that are around me. Every single one is a whole life container just like we are. How can I do anything but with reverence respect their beingness?
There is no book or movie or podcast or conversation that can be a substitute for life with you. There are no external circumstances that bring me life…they bring me all kinds of other things but you are the one who brings me life.
So here we are, today, on this journey. And together we will pray for, hope for and be with in spirit all others, connected for sure and in ways we tend to so easily forget, no matter where we are in this world.
With deep gratefulness for 70 years so far and whatever the experiences ahead, as we are in it together.
I promise you this. I will never say that you failed me.
With all my love,
Me
Dawn Sully Pile is the author of Baby Boomers+ : A Guide to Designing These Years, Honoring the Full Circle of Life and Creating Life-Giving Conversations 2017 Published by Dip Into the Well Publishing .