Reverence of the Body

“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” ~John 1:14

I have been reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s An Altar in the World as part of my morning soul food.  Today I read about “The Practice of Wearing Skin.”  I truly admire the way she is able to formulate into words such incredible visual images.  I find it humorous that she asks, “Do we dismiss the body’s wisdom because it does not use words?”  I spent the morning allowing words to be formed in my body. 

I walked my dog today, and at 8:45 AM, the temperature was already nearly unbearable with the humidity.  As I walked with my faithful companion, Panda, I opened myself to my senses.  I could feel the warmth of the sun, the density of the air, and from nowhere, a healthy breeze blowing intermittently.  I offered up thanks to God for all of those sensations, that I could feel them in my body; my body that God created. 

I listened to the music of the cicadas that seems to only arrive after the Fourth of July, here in my neighborhood.  The neighborhood was uncannily quiet without lawnmowers, cars or even barking dogs.  Birds, cicadas, my footfalls, Panda’s breathing and my own were all I could hear.  Again, Ioffered thanks to God that I could hear.  I began to marvel at how the body works.  How we are created to see, feel, smell, hear and taste our surroundings.  I can’t describe the smell, except that it smells like summer with dry grass and hot pavement.  My lips are salty with sweat and my brow furrowed with squinting into the sun.  I forgot my sunglasses today.

As I walked around the neighborhood, I felt acutely present in my skin.  For once, I was not judgemental of my flesh, but grateful for it.  I began to notice the rhythm of my breathing and footsteps together, and the clicking of my dog’s toenails in sync with her panting.  She looked up at me in question.  I spoke love to her and we continued on without words, but not in silence, practicing the awareness of wearing our skin.