I was not yet twenty when I made Aliyah and Israel became my home. Even though it’s now some thirty five years down the road, most are quick to detect an Anglo-Saxon accent of sorts. Granted, I was not cursed with the classic heavy North American accent. My, linguistic errors, however, are uniquely mine! Usually I mix up the “samach”, “sin” and “tsadik” letters…
So it came to pass that today, a few decades later, I discovered yet another word undeniably distorted by moi…
The subject of conversation revolved around our bodies, more particularly: which body part do you embrace and love and which body part would you rather hide from public view …
As a typical American girl of the times, I loved to wear jeans and a T shirt. Levis’ were in: in fashion and out of sight! I particularly loved Levis for their beautifully faded denim which aged oh so well. T shirts became a collector’s item for me. On my journeys, both near and far, I was always on the lookout for a new addition. I was a politically and socially active teenager; my extracurricular life focused on youth movement activities. So it will come as no surprise that I preferred a T shirt with a meaningful slogan for a worthy cause. Even so, a trip to Disneyland was a joyous celebration: an excuse to enhance and enlarge my collection. 
Mickey Trumps!
Did you not know that Mickey Mouse trumps a good cause any day?
Up until my early thirties I continued to wear my everyday uniform of vintage jeans and a tight neck T shirt.
I felt totally at home in my traditional apparel and did not for one moment imagine how totally and completely unflattering it was.
Is it not amazing how we can look at ourselves in the mirror day to day and be oblivious to what others might see? When we discover the flaw, no matter how, we cannot but not see it, every time we look in the mirror! “Hey you, over there: I see you!!!
It is all too easy to add yet another fault to our “Chest of Blemishes” overstuffed with cursed flaws. I would love to know the biology behind this…
Don’t ask me who let the cat out of the bag. I truly do not remember…
I have a double chin!!!
For years I have been saying that I have a “double piano”! It’s those letters that I have trouble setting straight. I’ve probably been corrected tens of times but this time I actually understood what my mistake was!
So, yes, I have a double chin and NOT a “double piano”. By the way, there actually is such a thing as a double piano. It can refer to a “back to back” piano where two can play on opposite sides of the piano or it can refer to a piano with a double keyboard…
From that moment on began longings for “the time of ignorance”. But it was useless! I could not help but see!!!
I learned the art of masking. I discovered that a deep “V” neck suited me to a “T” and shifted the gaze away from my troubling double.
I was curious to know about “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” as perceived by others. I asked a number of people regarding their best and worst features. I was surprised with the diversity of responses. Happy was I to discover those who unconditionally loved their whole body as it was. Most were caught totally off of their guard by my questions. For the most part, “the worst” was easy to find and “the best” took some more time to identify.
How nice it was to discover that most people could identify with pride a cherished body part…
Mindfullness
What would happen if we were to focus on the good and the beautiful: within and without? So much of our attention lost forever through meddlesome thoughts: negotiating real or imagined problems. Our minds excel at delivering a nonstop stream of pending worst case scenarios.
