Last I looked I was a twenty something skinny gal on her way to her next class in college. The other day I looked in the mirror and many years have passed since then. Many years filled with wonderful things like marriage and kids. Many years also filled with things I could have lived without like not paying attention to me and losing site of who I am. I was left asking myself who I have become while gazing into the mirror. Am I the same person I was years ago? Should I be? Where am I going? Whose clothes are in my closet? How did I gain 40 pounds since the day I got married about 14 years ago?
Now you may think me vain since the reason for my reflection was age and weight. Let’s face it; we want to be proud of how we look. We all know it is not the most important thing but it is part of how we define ourselves. When we gain weight or allow life to take its toll on our looks we feel it in our heart. What are the years saying on your body? Do they reflect a person who is strong, healthy, and ready to face the world or a person worn down, too busy to care as life passes by? Right now my body is saying that I spent years taking care of everyone but me. I worried more about how my dog ate then myself. I ate Oreos while skipping lunch so I could put a baby down or a nap or change a diaper or teach that day’s English lesson. While I love my life, my busy life has taken its toll on a body that is overweight with broken nails and a face that rarely wears make up.
Please understand that I am not saying we should all become Miss Skinny Pants, wear tons of make-up and neglect our families or responsibilities. We do not have to be skinny to feel good about ourselves or wear make-up to be beautiful. The point I am making is that sometimes we lose ourselves along the way. We work hard. We love sacrificially. We lead busy lives. We take care of everyone around us but we forget about us. Where are you? Sometimes this leads to a degrade that causes weight gain or a loss of that spark we once had.
I am challenging myself to be me again. I will take care of my family and continue with my responsibilities all while being me and not some faded version of me. My family deserves better and I deserve better. If that means that my road to me and health causes weight loss than wonderful! If that means I carry an extra 10-15 pounds, then that’s fine also. We struggle with weight because we struggle with life. Stop the struggle! Gain control of you and you will gain control of your weight. We are worth it!
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