Kristas excess skin removal surgery

Reflection: 

My body tells a story of life, of loss, of motherhood, failures and successes. Not only have I experienced body dismorphia, I also watched a loved one struggle with both anorexia and bulimia for the entirety of our lives together. I learned the art of self loathing as a young child that spilled over into my adult life. My unrealistic idea of what body perfection should be was based soley on sociatetal norms. Instead of pursuing said "perfection", I wanted to be the exact opposite. I felt unworthy of attention, love, and freedom of experience. I pushed myself into a dangerously unhealthy place. 

The person who had my "perfect body" was locked in a bathroom throwing up after a meal. If I accomplished such a task would I be the one still unhappy, throwing up after a meal too? 

Vulnerability:

The obvious irony is that from a place of vulnerability, many new ways of existing in the world open up: honesty, compassion, acting for the good of others and without ego, and the ability to heal from one’s own wounds.

Truth is: 

My journey to health has been more-so a healing experience than a physical one. Learning to grant myself beingness, love the way my body has given me 2 beautiful children, the way it accepts pleasure and pain, giving me the gift to move freely from place to place, accepting energy and joy so easily. I accepted the simple and most powerful notion, that I... Yes I, can embrace and enjoy my own beingness without those strongholds on my life.

I have incredible amounts of excess skin, muscles, and strength. These things make me unequivocally human.