Flex

No matter where I've been in my adult life I've loved three things about myself: being tall, my teeth, and my triceps. Seriously, I've sported a sweet horseshoe below my shoulders. It's the only muscle in my body that responds to the gym. Sadly, I lost my triceps a few years ago...probably at the fertility clinic. I've now entered the twilight zone of "My Next Birthday is the Big 4-0" and heretofore am cracking the whip on myself.

This means I'm setting my alarm for earlier than 7, painstakingly punching food in MyFitnessPal, and giving myself the eye of the tiger in the mirror. Heck, today I put on mismatched swim briefs with Charakie's maternity swim top (it's all I have) and showed up 48 minutes after water aerobics got out, which only gave me 12 minutes to sit in the hot tub with Instructor Tiff and Water Mom Candy before swim lessons prompted adult evacuation. At least I got 12 minutes of unadulterated vitamin D and stretched my adductors.

My neighbor BonBon has biceps like rocks because she has held a baby without interruption for the last 16 years. I feel like I can mention her physical prowess because she brought it up herself years ago on the back row of Primary when we were talking during Sharing Time. That was a happy time in my life. Anyway, BonBon's physique got me thinking about strong arms and how I could get them without holding a baby for a decade and a half. All I needed was resistance and will power.

What can I hold forever that isn't a baby?   

I realized I can hold a shield of faith and a sword of righteousness forever. Non-stop. All the time. I will carry them until they feel like a second skin. This led to a search of the scriptures to seek out all literal upper limb activity for metaphorical analysis.

WHAT CAN I DO WITH STRONG ARMS?

I can hold the iron rod so tightly nothing can pull me off. (continual obedience...press forward saints)

I can slay giants with a slingshot and wild beasts with my bow and perfect aim. (overcome adversity)

I can pull down prison walls. (repent...beat sin and addiction by escaping whatever is trapping me)

I can build a ship from scratch. (do the impossible or never-been-done)

I can bury my weapons. (change my destructive behavior and use my agency to do things that are good)

I can zap evil. (I need not feel threatened when others mock my spiritual skills)

I can carry heavy burdens. (when my back is already loaded up like a sherpa and life is still hurling sandbags at me)

I can hoist a title of liberty. (I can boldly declare what I believe without fear or shame)

I can fight like a dragon for my life, liberty, children, home, and freedom.

I can reach out and rescue those I love from the storms that rage.*

Photo of a tricep workout recommended by Real Simple magazine. It's in a sheet protector in my workout binder that I literally blew dust off of when retrieved. #gottastartsomewhere

*Snippet of one of my favorite quotes from Thomas S. Monson. Here is the full quote drawn in my 1994 BYU sketchbook:

p.s. I want to add that David (Goliath-killing David) used a sling because he was comfortable with a sling over armor. I think one of the points of that story is you have to be comfortable in your faith. If your faith is chainmail, great. If it's a humble leather slingshot, great. Wherever you are, you can succeed.