Beyond the jiggles…

Beyond the jiggles…

This summer I have had the opportunity to spend many afternoons at my son’s pool or at one of the many lovely beaches in Southern California.  On these occasions I’ve been accompanied by my two granddaughters, ages 4 and 2, as well as other family members. I will admit that I have always been a bit reluctant to wear my bathing suit in front of others.

As a young girl I had no problem putting on my two-piece suit, oil up and lay outside in the yard on a towel or lounge chair soaking up the rays.  I did feel rather uncomfortable, however, going to the beach with my girl friends as a teenager.  I was not one of those girls who paraded up and down the beach, enjoying the whistles or stares.   No, instead I usually didn’t stray too far off my towel unless I had to use the bathroom, and even then, most of the time I would throw on a t-shirt over my suit.  As a child and teenager I was always tall and thin and most bathing suits looked pretty good on me but I still lacked the confidence to feel good about my appearance.

Jump ahead 40 years

. One of the activities my granddaughters enjoy is playing in the water at the beach or playing in the family swimming pool.  As a grandmother, I don’t think twice about putting on my bathing suit and playing in the waves or playing with the girls in the pool.  Now mind you, the beach we go to is a very popular beach for locals and tourists and is very crowded during the beautiful summer months.  When I go out in the water, dozens of eyes are on me (I’m sure the eyes are really on my precious little girls but since I am either holding them or steadying them in the moving water, they can’t avoid not seeing me).

I have attended many family and/or friend pool parties in the past couple years and I don’t hesitate throwing on my suit to play with the kiddos in the pool.  I don’t care that my tummy pooches, my waist looks thick or my legs/thighs jiggle.  I’m sure that my usually high blood pressure has calmed to a normal level and I feel a relaxed feeling oozing from my pores…life is good!!

Isn’t it too bad that I had to wait until I was 50 something before I was able to enjoy jumping the waves or play in the pool?  I guess I had to become a grandmother first in order to reset my priorities on what was really important in my life.  I can’t imagine watching the little girls from the shore or poolside and not being involved in the fun because I was too concerned about my jiggles and sagging bottom.  Thank you, my precious granddaughters for showing me what was truly important in life.

Until next time,

Judy

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