I can't believe it's been since last July since I posted. Where the hell have I been???
Oh wait...I lost my job and did an intensive new job search. Thankfully, I was only out of work for 3 months and started a great new job in December. I am working for a law firm and am an assistant to one of the partners. It's been a HUGE challenge, but an amazing journey. I feel that I am helping people in ways that significantly affect their lives.
I've also been continuing my journey of self awareness and finding my way in the world. I turned 50 in September. SO...I am truly Middle Aged.
Now that life has settled down a bit, I have the desire to write again. SO....I'm back!! Hopefully, I'll write again before 8 months pass....
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Stop the Shame
I have a confession to make:
I’m fat. I know….it’s a horrible
sin. We’re lazy, dirty, selfish, and
ignorant. At least that is the general
public opinion.
The funny thing is…I’m not lazy, dirty, selfish, or
ignorant. Well, okay….I can be a couch
potato, I’m a lousy housekeeper, I can have selfish moments, and there are
things I don’t know much about…like country music. However, in general, I am a hard worker, I
shower daily, I strive to be helpful to others, and I am highly educated and
try to learn something new every day.
But…I’m still fat.
I’ve been working on lots of “stuff” over the past year or so: emotional issues and personal demons. I’ve come to terms with many things. It’s been hard work and I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, and the direction I’ve moved my life in lately. The big thing that I am now facing is my weight.
As I’ve started on this particular journey, I’ve been trying
to sort out how and why I’ve gotten to the weight I’m at now. There are so many reasons – not the least of
which is my feelings of unimportance; of not feeling good enough. These feelings are in direct conflict with my
sense of self and my knowledge of my level of ability. I’ve struggled with these things my entire
life. Right now, I am trying to clear
these “beliefs” that I have created for myself that are “untruths”. And that brings me back to my weight.
Facebook is now making suggestions for pages they think we
should “like”. In fact, they are getting
paid to put those links on our home feeds.
I keep getting these horrible Dr. Oz weight loss pages…always
accompanied with a photo of an extremely large woman. I usually click the little box on the upper
right and report them as spam. One time,
I made the mistake of missing the box and opening the photo and seeing the
comments that people made about the woman in the photo. I should have just closed it, but like
watching a train wreck, I couldn’t look away.
There were the usual nasty comments, but one shocked and angered
me. One woman said “how could she allow
this to happen to herself? And how dare
she be smiling? Fat people have no right
to smile.”
When I read that blog, I sobbed. Why am I feeling I “have to lose this weight”? Is it because I want to, or because I’m
feeling ashamed and shamed into it? Am I
such a horrible person because I’m overweight?
But….society needs to stop shaming people who are
overweight. We are this way for a variety
of reasons. Yelling at us, mocking us,
and making fun of us in public is not acceptable. We are human beings doing the best we can
with the issues life have handed us.
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