OMG! Is that you?
So three years ago I ran into a friend I had not seen in about 5 years. She kept looking at me like I was someone she was supposed to know but could not bring herself to remember. She looked and looked again, every time squinting like the sun was in her eyes. I just kept looking at her cos I sort of knew what this was about. Oh my gosh, Iveren, is that you? You look...a little different she said to me. I just smiled and asked... ”how different do I look Pat?” I asked with emphasis. “Well, it seems you may have put on some weight...in the right places of course. You look very good dear” was her response. All the while, her eyes wondered all over my body and settled on my stomach. Ha! I saw and heard the mockery she concealed in her eyes and her voice but I broke into a laugh. That reaction must have shocked her because, before I could regain myself she scurried away.
I have never let anyone body shame me. When I was younger, I was lean and athletic. I wasn’t exactly skinny, I just was not fat at all. I grew older and became busier and it started to become a bit harder to loose weight and stay on track with workout and proper eating so yes, I gained weight. It was significant at first but I would loose some of the weight and then gain it back, lose and gain, I was swinging in the weight department like an unstable pendulum. There was however one thing I did not let happen to me. I did not let ANYONE make me feel like I was a looser because I could not keep the scale at 50kg every time I climbed it. I wore my weight with pride and when I lost it, I wore my size-whatever that was- with pride. I had my low moments, don’t get me wrong. There were times when I just couldn’t get why I was not “disciplined” enough to keep the weight off. But all that lasted max of one day and I was up and about again.
I only made sure to eat right, exercise right and keep my feelings in check cos they were subject to change. So I didn't let my feelings dictate or define me or my actions for that matter. I am healthy, I am fine, I am happy regardless of what goes on in another person’s head. Period. I am not afraid to experience change.
