On the heels of a twenty three inch snow storm, you might be thinking this is a post about, no snow days and walking to school six miles in the snow, carrying a shovel to shovel the stairs of the school before class. It is not!
When I was a kid, a teenager actually, I was overweight, imagine that?? Yes this has always been a battle for me. I am dating myself here, but as my birthday approaches I have been reflecting on all the years I debated the "do I have cake or no cake?" Unfortunately at the time, my Birthday is two weeks into January, or two weeks into my New Year's Resolution, and quite honestly the beginning of the end of any diet I had started. That was the past. On the eve of my Birthday here is my thoughts.
While thinking about all of this I got a little sidetracked in my thinking ( happens a lot, someone mentioned maybe I am pre-menopausal. Nope not me, "open the window please, Yes I know it is January!") Anyways I was thinking about all my dilemmas that being overweight has caused me and undoubtedly wearing clothes in the late seventies and mid eighties take the cake! Do you remember these days? Ok, if you are too young, Good for you!! If not here is some reminders, hightop reebok sneakers ( mine mint green for me ) stir up pants, leg warmers, How about the off the shoulder sweatshirt, ala flash dance style, but what really sticks in my mind is the jeans, Jordache, Calvin, Guess, acid washed and tight and as I remember a problem to get into!
I was desperate to fit in as any teenage girls is , that has not changed over the years, unfortunately the pressure has increased and not decreased. I wore all those clothes and I am happy to report that those pictures were destroyed in a flood of my basement last spring. What has never been destroyed though is the memories of me as a teenager just shy of One hundred and eight pounds trying to put on skinny jeans and having spandex in jeans was years away from being thought of. Here is what I would have to do, stand by bed, step into the jeans and, raise them to my hips, and than lay on bed and suck in belly, take deep breathe, ZIP! exhale. This method went on for approximately ten years, through the birth of my daughters, it ended on her third birthday, the year she received her first pair of jeans, and decided she could dress herself, she after years of watching me, took her littlle jeans and ran to her bed and yes you guessed it, proceeded to put on jeans just like mommy!! That was the end of me dressing in style, and the beginning of my sweat suit years, that continued for quite sometime. ( a post for another day).
So here I am again 30 years later and thinking " Do I have Cake or not? " and the answer is yes! I have cake, and I count all the points and I enjoy every bite and I rejoice that the internal battle I had over this for years is over and all the years prior have been crucial for me to get to this point now, I want remember and share the battle, laugh and sometimes cry and hope that I can pass along some great lessons as to lessen someone else's length of their internal struggle...
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