Did you ever notice how much we complain about our bodies?

Well, at least women do.In any gathering of women of any age group, it would not be unusual to hear someone say, "Ohhh, I hate the way I look." Then they add their specific wish."I wish I could lose 5 pounds." Or 10. Or whatever. Most women are unhappy with their weight.I hear many women say they wish their stomach was flatter.Many wish their butt was smaller, their bust was bigger or their hips were smaller.I guess as an aside I just have to say I never heard a woman of any age remark that her brain was too underdeveloped or her intellect was too stilted.Even teenagers wish their bodies were different. Maybe I should say that's especially true of teenagers. Did you ever hear a teen say, "I like myself just the way I am?"My granddaughter and her friends all look like models with their long legs, long, shiny blond hair and ever-so-skinny bodies.But when I hear them talk I can't believe how derisive they are about their gorgeous bodies. One girl is so beautiful it's hard to stop looking at her. But she honestly thinks she's ungainly and homely. She looked at a picture where she looked like a model with her dazzling smile and good looks. But what did she say: "I hate pictures of me. I always look so ridiculous."And, of course, they all hate their "big fat thighs." This from girls with colt-like legs and bodies so small a size 2 would be too big.Are we as women never satisfied with our bodies?I saw a poster in the Hallmark store that made me laugh. It said: "Don't you wish you still looked like you did long ago when you thought you were too fat to be seen in a bathing suit?It's true that when we look back at pictures of ourselves from years ago we can't believe how good we looked. But we never thought so at the time.Let me ask you this. Do you ever hear a guy say his butt is too big or his legs are too fat? A guy can have a protruding stomach that walks in the doorway before he does. But he doesn't sit around lamenting the way he looks.I asked my husband if he ever heard a guy complain about not liking his body. "No," said David, "but that doesn't mean he likes what he sees in the mirror. Guys don't say what they're thinking."I got a laugh over that truism.It was a simple quote that turned my thinking around. Here's the quote that stuck with me:My body and my mind are valuable and beautiful for what they can do.Do you dare to think like that?Do you dare to appreciate your body and your mind?Reading that sentiment about appreciating ourselves made me recall a Weight Watchers circle (very different from regular Weight Watchers meetings) when 12 of us sat each week listening with rapt attention to tips and techniques to lose weight.The male instructor asked us to think of one part of our body we liked and to give thanks for it. Then he challenged us to be grateful for our legs and thighs that most of us complain about. Instead of complaining, he said, think of how well they treat us.They make us strong enough to pick up children, carry groceries, go for evening walks and take us to places we want to see. Be grateful.This week, as I went for my morning gratitude walk, I added a short thanksgiving for legs that could still walk. That is no longer something I can take for granted.Now, as I walk, I think about how strong my legs are instead of thinking about how short and stocky they are. As I walk up a hill, I concentrate on how my legs take the climb. When I concentrate on movement, I can appreciate everything my sturdy legs do for me.Call it an attitude adjustment.Instead of complaining to myself that my legs are too short to allow me to reach the top shelf in a supermarket, I say thank you for those same legs that allow me to shop for groceries, carry in the packages and put things away.When I went boating with a friend, I said thank you for legs strong enough to let me easily climb in the boat that pitched much higher than the dock.Whoever made up that quote is right. My body is beautiful for what it can do for me.And so is my mind. My mind is ever so beautiful to me when it serves me well.I seem to misplace a lot of things lately. But when my mind suddenly recalls that my lost car keys are in the glove compartment where I put them, I am grateful for a mind that works.I'm grateful every single time it works because I'm at the age where my mind doesn't always remember what it should.Maybe if I just keep complimenting it when it does work, it will do it more often.Let's vow to be kind to ourselves by appreciating what we have.Contact Pattie Mihalik at

newsgirl@comcast.net.