More Than A Body: Your Body Is an Instrument, Not an Ornament

by Lexie Kite

You know her. She is your whole, complex, dynamic, human self, right where she has always been since your identity split and you learned to feel at home in the waters of objectification through your own self-objectification. She is your inner child from the memories and pictures you love from your past, all grown up. The same body you were born in and grew up in and experienced every second of life in. All the bad, all the good, all the pain and joy and highs and lows. She puts her arm around you, welcoming you home to yourself after your long venture to see more and be more. You sit with the sure knowledge that your body is good, and you deeply understand that your body is only a fraction of your identity. You have learned so much about yourself in the sea, which makes this reunion all the more powerful. You are home, grounded in the truth that your experiences and pain and responses make you more of who the world needs you to be, not less. You are no longer doubled as the seer and the seen, the consumer and the consumed, the human being and the human being looked at.