Dear Body,
You know, the other day I was cycling to work, and a thought popped up in my mind: “I am so healthy!”. It was a simple reflection, but made me realize how lucky I am for having you. Every day, I take for granted the ability to move around, to run or to swim in the ocean. Whenever I wanted something, you grabbed it for me. A shower? Easy. Stairs? No problem!
I feel sorry for not giving you enough credits. It’s so easy to forget how wonderful it is to have free mobility and no pain! My mind seems to be always focused on the bad things. Therefore, I only realize that I terribly miss you when I am injured.
Remember when I pushed you to the limit back in May? Running our first 100km wasn’t easy, especially when at 40km the right leg said “Enough, I am not bending anymore!”. Still, you listened to me, and kept going. True that we ended up limping for two weeks (oops!), but I know you are proud of our achievement!
For 30 years, you have lived by me, allowing me to explore corners of the world, perform extraordinary experiments, engage with outstanding people, generate unique memories, and as usual, push the limits of our capabilities. Despite all those amazing moments, what I am most grateful for is our daily life. From getting out of bed to strolling under the sun, thank you for your support. I promise to keep taking care of you. Healthy food? Sure! Regular exercise? Granted! And… I know you love massages!
Lastly, I want to apologize in advance because I will forget my gratitude towards you. I even know that I will complain about you being weak. You know me, I am quite stubborn… Honestly, this letter is also for myself, to remind me how wonderful it is to have a pain-free state, how marvelous it is to move around in automatic gear, and how rarely I stop to say “thank you Body, you are amazing!”.