Response to "Dear Body"

Dear Body: A Letter of Apology and Gratitude

Dear hair, 

I love you. You always know exactly what I want and you never make me look ridiculous. Thank you for always being thick and blonde and have the ability to straighten, scrunch, curl, crimp, and still look awesome when I don't do anything to you. I'm sorry for thinking my hands had the skill to cut you in eighth grade in efforts to save me a few dollars. I promise to never torture you like that again. 

Dear skin,

I'm sorry for being embarrassed of you for so many years due to your lack of pigmentation and for spending so many hours in the sun without protection in attempts to change you. I'm also going to apologize for the rest of my peers and class mates for teasing you; you don't deserve that. Thank you for protecting me and keeping me cold and warm and never cursing me with more than one acne breakout per month. 

Dear teeth: 

Thank you for saving me from the social embarrassment of the paradox of crooked teeth. Ridicule for crooked teeth and then ridicule for braces. You're beautiful. I feel I've taken care of you over the years and you've repaid me. Perhaps I shouldn't have chewed so much gum pre-wisdom-teeth-surgery. I'm sorry for that.

Dear nose:

Thanks for being the perfect size. You're awesome.

Dear eyes: 

I'm sorry for coating you in layers of eyeliner for so many years and for never finding the will power to take out my contacts for so long; I know I'm guilty of damaging you. Thank you for putting up with me and still giving me a beautiful blue, green, and gold mix in my eye color. I owe you one. 

Dear arms: 

I wish I toned you better.

Dear fingers: 

You've held, touched, pointed, poked, picked, and grabbed countless things in my lifetime. I don't know how I would survive without each one of you. I'm sorry for cracking you for so long and caused you to swell three times the size of the average finger. 

Dear legs: 

I'm sorry for that year in high school when I covered you up with tight jeans out of embarrassment of you. It was my fault for pushing my leg muscles to develop so early; I shouldn't be embarrassed of thick legs. I think you're beautiful. I'm sorry for all of the bruises, falls, cuts, and scars you've had to endure. I'll try and be more careful with you. 

Dear feet: 

I wish you weren't so flat. But thank you for giving me foundation to walk on everyday and for being silky smooth even without moisturizer. 

Dear lips: 

You're perfect. I'm sorry for that period in my life where I bit the skin off of you and denied you chap stick. Thanks for your awesome kissing abilities, too. 

Dear stomach: 

I'm finally at a point in my life where I truly love you. I'm sorry for starving you in efforts to lose weight. I'm sorry if I destroyed any part of you. If I could take back that point in my life, I would. Thank you for tolerating my poor diet and excessive amounts of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Thank you for accepting the fact that I love cheese and ice cream too much, and even though it pains you, I cannot give it up. And thank you for giving me the line of freckles that look like The Big Dipper. All of my friends thinks that's pretty awesome.

Dear ears: 

Thanks for being the perfect size. I'm sorry I don't clean you more often and you had to go through hell when I pierced my second hole. But thank you for healing properly and not giving up on me. 

Dear knees: 

I'm sorry for making you grow weird from all of those Spread Eagles I did in figure skating when I was younger. I'm also sorry for hating you. And Left Knee, I'm sorry for permanently damaging you because I had to try and be cool that one day in rehearsal. Just don't give up on me yet. 

Dear chest: 

I have nothing to say to you except: THANK YOU. <3

Dear body,

I love you.