Curves

At various times in my life, during high school, or after each of my babies, I've had more curves on my body than I've been happy with. I get these love handles - these extra bumps over my hips - that look unnatural and strange. They certainly are nothing you would see on a Barbie body.

Luckily for me, I happen to have an active metabolism. I can generally make those extra curves disappear by cutting out desserts for a while. Since my third child, however, it's not as easy as it once was. And, just like I've become accustomed to the rapidly growing number of grey hairs on my head, I've had to add exercise to my life to keep those curves away. Even though exercise is fairly new to me, I enjoy the running and the sessions on the elliptical. I look forward to the cleansing feeling of sweat pouring out of me as my heart races.

What I don't like is having to worry about when I'll work out, and stressing about cramming it into my days. I also don't like weighing whether or not I should have dessert. I want my youth back with its carelessness and its effortlessness, back when I couldn't imagine that I would ever have to embrace my extra curves as a permanent part of my aged body.

This piece was inspired by the Sunday Scribblings writing prompt: Curves.