“There is no excuse for being fat. Period.”
That is the comment that was recently posted under a Facebook ad for a yoga class I teach for people with bigger bodies.
A couple years ago I would have cried. I would have been hurt. I would have felt ashamed. Instead, I was angry. That soon passed, and I was sad. This woman must really not like herself if she had to waste time and energy to post that under an add for a class that she wouldn’t even consider attending.
Don’t get me wrong. I still have moments of feeling too fat and ugly. Those thoughts soon pass. And it’s not always easy to move on.
We have patterns of thoughts, emotions and behaviors that are instilled in us at an early age. Don’t blame anyone for that. It simply is what it is. We get cues everywhere dictating what we need to look like. I can count on one had the number of successful actresses I see who have bodies like mine. And that is only in the past few years.
It has taken me more than 40 years to appreciate my body for what it is. My body gets me out of bed every morning. It practices and teaches yoga. It cuddles my husband. AND my body grew two amazing little boys. This perfectly imperfect body my soul resides in is a daily reminder of these wonders my life is filled with.
Could I lose weight? Yes.
Do I need to lose weight? Yes.
Do I need some lady on Facebook to tell me this? No
Should I just be the best me I can be? ABSOLUTLY!
Last time a checked, we are all made of flesh and blood. I’m married to a chiropractor, so I know our skeletons all pretty much look the same. So, why the need to judge each other’s bodies?
I had a very wise woman pass on an enlightening bit of wisdom to me. She made me consider that maybe my body needs to be bigger to contain the big person I am.
Wow. Truth.
I am a big presence with a big personality, big mouth and (I’m told) a big smile. I live life loud in my own way. I live life BIG.
Maybe big isn’t bad. Perhaps big is better… for me.
So, as I head to the bathroom to check my blood pressure and step on the scale I will remind myself to appreciate my body. I will love me for me… big body and all.