A Manhattan Workout: Dear Upper East Side Mothers

Start with the neck:

Slowly move it side to side,

And watch the people

You all too often ignore on your daily walks

To the store.

A stiff neck will serve you worse than aching joints

When age has finally caught the express to

Your body after years of

Traveling on the local.

Remember that those are mothers on the sidewalk—

Not obstructions.

And those are students in the station—

Not pests.

And those are conversations you are hearing—

Not static noise.

There is a world of lives surrounding yours.

For better neck muscles,

Start noticing it.

For stronger biceps and forearms,

Pick up your child.

Lift him up each time his hands reach for yours,

Clutch him close enough to smell the lingering scent

Of Cheerios clinging to his body,

And rock him to sleep each night

As if it's the last time you will ever

Get to hold him.

There will come a time when—instead of picking him up—

You will only get to pick up after him.

And those will be the days when you wish

You could have held his small body

Just a little

Longer.

For your abdomen,

Laugh until your sides hurt.

Crouch down to talk to your child—

On his level.

Roll on the floor with him,

And see the world from the only angles he knows.

Chase after him with smiles,

Scoop him up off of the sidewalk,

And swing him around and around and around

Until his laughter ingrains itself in your ears

And you cannot help but join in.

Do not let his younger years

Be spent wondering

What joy sounds like.

For better posture,

Play dress up on occasion, and dress for you—

Not for fashion week.

Wear your confidence like you where your bra:

Make sure it fits and holds you up,

But let it pass unnoticed by the people you meet on the street

Who are led to believe

It is natural.

And instead of jogging on a coldly calculating treadmill,

Take a walk down Madison with your husband.

Don't forget what you've learned so far—

Realize you are not alone in this world.

There are other stories being intertwined with yours.

Walk with purpose,

Not impatience.

Remember you have already got to where you are going

Just by standing

At his side.

And to exercise the rest of your lower body,

Well,

You know what to do after that walk.

For elegant hands,

Practice hearty handshakes.

For healthy feet,

Use them to go to the places you actually want to go.

For fuller lips,

Smile every morning before you leave your home.

And for younger skin,

Let your husband leave his kisses along your

Neck and your shoulders and your elbows and your hands.

Let the vibrancy of his affection serve as the blush for your cheeks.

And if you yet need radiance,

Remember,

You are loved.

By Danielle Perkins