There are many reasons why I haven't found it easy to jump on the Catholic bandwagon for the past. This one occurred to me today. I think that bodies are awesome. The way they move, the things they do. I love it all. And yet, it has been instilled in me since I was a child that I have to keep my body in check, I have to cover up, I have to criticize my own and keep others' bodies at a healthy distance (especially in my family--not cuddlers). I guess this is kind of true...my body will want to eat a pound of ice cream a day, and that's not healthy. It's moderation obviously. But I digress. Most of what the body wants is not a bad thing! We want these things for a reason.

And I'm also getting cultural body hatred mixed up in this. But the denial--that is a very Catholic thing. The general restraint in the rituals. The fasting during Lent. The no sexing up, unless you are not using contraception, married, and are completely open to having children. The expectation of modesty, the fear of sexuality in general.

But then, my own current method of spirituality--this little yoga stint I'm on...there's a lot of restraint in that too. It's a letting go, and that's exuberant, in a way, but it's a lot of restraint. This isn't really an argument, just an observation. I don't know if you can be Catholic and be a physical person.