Skip to main content

A Corner I Didn't Know I Was Approaching

Weight is a weird thing. Sure, scientifically, it’s all about gravity and mass and blah blah balh. It’s just a number. It’s not a measurement of your worth.

Yadda.

Yadda.

Yadda.

I know.

But fat. Appearance. Confidence. So much is tied into that arbitrary number on the scale. The circumference of your waste.

Psychology.

I’m getting lost in the mire of all of it and it’s all tied to that number. As I struggle with the importance of the number and what it means to me I’m finding twists and turns I’m finding questions and concerns and confusion.

Lots of confusion.

Lots of… not sure what I’m finding.

Me? Maybe?

I’m okay with what I’m finding. And I wouldn’t say I’m UN-comfortable with it. But I’m not sure what’s going on.

I’ve never read the self-help books or joined the group therapy, or one-on-one therapy, or done much more than surface based “lose weight.”

I’m finding that it’s so much more than getting to the gym, eating carrots, skipping creamer in the coffee, and buying clothes a size smaller than last time.

I’ve been stuck between the same sizes (XXL and XL women’s cut) for years.

In those years I’ve:
-Quit a soul sucking job
-Realized my previous career was soul sucking
-Met an amazing man
-Married that amazing man
-Put myself outside my comfort zone
-Found myself doing really well outside my comfort zone
-Realized that I’m a different person than I thought I was

That last one, that’s the one that gets to me. As an aspiring writer, my main characters have to some extent been some idealized, idolized, aspired to the version of who I thought I wanted to be. I’m slowly becoming that person and…. And I’m not sure what that means or how I feel about it.
I’m more confident now that I’m at a job that I excel at and truly enjoy. I’m more confident now that I’m not spending 9am-5pm trying to fly under the radar and just get the work done. I’m more comfortable with me now that I’ve stopped worrying about the radar and not rocking the boat. Being somewhere where I’m surrounded by artists I feel… NORMAL… for the first time.

I’m average.

I’m like everyone else.

I’ve never felt like that before. I’ve always been different, strange, and an outsider.

I was never bullied (well, there was seventh grade but even that’s not a normal bullying story). I always had friends. I was never alone. I was never left out.

But I was never like everyone else.

I was the person that fit in with the most groups. I was in the band, orchestra, choir, theater; I grew up playing league sports with the jock; I was artistic; I was a nerd, and somehow the popular girls were nice to me too.

It’s like I’m dead center in the Vin Diagram of Life. I’m a little bit like everyone but not just like anyone.

Until, somehow, now.

Until now I’ve always had the “different” label. Somehow, deep down, that’s been a shield for me. Now that I don’t have that shield. Now that I’m “normal” I’m starting to wonder about the rest of me.

I’ve been trying to lose weight since college. If I’d really been trying I’d have done it by now.

If I’d been putting actual effort into it, I’d have done it by now.

If I’d been doing more than the bare minimum, I’d have done it by now.

There’s a reason I haven’t done it.

Me.

Me.

Me.

I’m the reason.

Why I’ve been playing games with myself, I don’t know.

Why I’ve been pretending and half-assing it… I don’t know.

But somehow, somewhere, sometime, I’ve started changing when it comes to health, too.

I’ve been talking myself out of stopping for junk food instead of into it. I’ve said no to birthday cake at a 3-yearl-old’s party. I’ve said no to the beer in my fridge. I’ve said no to the brownies at work. I’ve been drinking water. I’ve been drinking coffee with no creamer or sugar. I’ve talked myself out of Starbucks.
I’ve been trying to say yes to the gym instead of ignoring it or pretending I don’t have time.

I’ve turned a corner I didn’t even know was there.

I’ve had a revelation I didn’t know I’ve been approaching.

I’m suddenly confused, excited, scared, and nervous.

But I’m happy.

And I’d like to get down to a Large.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

So, a Fat Nerd steps onto a scale...

I done did it, y'all. I got my scale out this morning. I can't say that I'm surprised, but I can say that I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Two hundred and freaking forty six pounds. It was a bit of a gut punch. I'm not happy. I know that I have lost weight since our move. I can see it in the mirror. I can tell by the way my clothes fit. But, as it stands this morning I have an official number. 246 Gross. Have I been heavier? Yes. Earlier this year. Have I (as an adult) been lighter? Yes... also earlier this year. Was I heavier when I got my ass in gear a few months ago? Yes. Can I do better? Also, yes. Am I going to be better? HELL YES!!! It's easy to pick a start date that is "later." You screw up on your new diet on Wednesday and decide to start over on Monday, or the first of the month, or the first of the year. Well, guess what? The first of the year is tomorrow. I'm not giving myself "one last night...

Book Review: Juliet by Anne Fortier

My first book of the year was a pick by the Ravenclaw bookclub. I'm pretty open to trying out new authors and genres and try not to allow myself to get stuck in a book rutt. I've never read anything by Fortier and was intrigued by the Shakespeare meets Da Vinici Code references on the cover blurbs. I like Shakespeare and while I was not impressed by the Da Vinci Code, I liked the idea behind it and honestly only saw the movie. I'm not impressed by Juliet. Like Da Vinci, I like the idea behind it: the "plague on both your houses" from Romeo and Juliet stems from a true story and a curse that has followed two families throughout the generations. Our modern day heroine, Julie, discovers she is a decedent of Juliet's family and travels to Italy to find out the truth of who she is and where she comes from only to be swept up in a mystery, conspiracy, and adventure. The story is told in two intertwining parts, modern day with Julie and 1340 where we learn the...

Step three is a go!

Dudes, I don’t even know where to start. Life has been passing me by at an alarming speed but in a good way. Nothing new has really happened, but I’m settling into my new normal. My schedule at the bookstore has found its constant. One great thing about this place is the full-time people have consistent schedules, even though it’s a retail job. The schedule still posts every week, but it’s really more of a confirmation of what you already know than a crap-shoot of hoping you can make plans with your friends. I’d forgotten how nice it was to be able to make plans in advance. I do not miss the corporate world in the slightest. I’ve been doing office jobs since I graduated from college and none of them made me as happy as the bookstore does. I’ve worked in payroll, in investments/oil, and the legal world. Yes, they all paid better than I get now, but the quality of life was atrocious. I was working crazy hours, not sleeping well, totally stressed, unhealthy, and unmotivated. My c...