“And so I ran into the water sprinklers. I played with my kids. I soaked my skirt and laughed at how silly I was for not wearing my bathing suit — and I even said this to you. You smiled and said, ‘It’s OK. I understand.’ And we shared a knowing look. The look women share when we really understand one another. And I felt at peace, for the moment, with my body. I wished, then and there, that I could put on my bikini and run with abandon alongside you in yours.
Kara Lawler
Having a daughter, and being an English teacher at an all-girls’ school, Kara wants to provide a good foundation and an excellent example of knowing and loving your body.
“I want these girls of mine—daughter and students alike—to know that their bodies are the homes of their souls and the homes of their minds. For each, her body is simply a vessel for the woman she is. And my cellulite, my stretch marks—the signs that I’m a mother of two—are just outer marks on a body and a mind that have done some hard work.”
Kara made a decision at the water park that day. The decision to never “sit on the sidelines again.” Instead, she will find joy in the little things, because in the end, they are the big things—the memories that make a childhood, and the simple pleasures in life.
“I won’t deny a pool date because I don’t want to wear my bathing suit. I won’t skip the ice cream with my son when he begs me to eat one with him. I won’t enter calories on my phone. I will wear my bathing suit. And I will do it and remember you, the mom at the water park today—and the role model I must be for all my girls.”
As she made the vow to herself—a vow for change—Kara held her tired daughter, and they watched as a purple butterfly fluttered past them.
Kara Lawler
“Butterflies are a symbol of a change of consciousness and a new beginning. How fitting on a day when I vow to wear my bathing suit with pride. And how fitting that my daughter’s bathing suit has butterflies on it, too.”
In the depths of her discomfort and self-consciousness, Kara found peace. Peace in knowing that our bodies are incredible. They do incredible things, and they house far more wonderful things than the negative thoughts that ring the loudest.
May her words and experience help you find joy in the things that matter today. And may we all stand together bearing bathing suits with pride, abandoning the sidelines and lifting each other up.
