Hard to Hide

It is pretty hard to hide being fat!  There is not enough black clothing, Spanx or minimizing bras out there to disguise the bulge!  Harsh but true... not to say that large women and men cannot dress well and look good...Truthfully, most of how we look is reflected in how confident and comfortable we are with our bodies, regardless of size. 

For me...what is on the inside far outweighs the weight!  However, I am aware that is not REALLY true for everyone...some people make no bones about how they feel about overweight people...I have personally known people who admittedly are disgusted by heavy folks.  I have known other people who are a little more subtle...but still are "bothered" by a person carrying more weight than normal. 

Being fat...well, I have been blatantly confronted about my weight...I have been subtlety judged by my appearance and I have been loved for what is on the inside with no regard to my appearance.  All have taught me something!

It is so much easier to focus on a person's outsides than to take the time and energy to understand and see their insides.  Despite how difficult it is to hide the "fat"... the reasons for the "fat" can be completely hidden...undetectable to the naked eye even undetectable to the person carrying the extra weight.  It is so much easier to only see what is right in front of us...and it is so difficult to hide extra pounds.

 So I am having a conversation with a complete stranger today...We were discussing a business matter and she asked me a question that led to my acknowledgement that I am currently smack in the middle of this weight loss Journey.  Now...it was one of those situations that immediately after I told her (just the basics) of this Journey that I thought...CRAP!!!  OVERSHARE!!!  But she said the following to me (I'm paraphrasing)...It is important to be honest..."I don't like to hide parts of myself, I prefer to be honest" 

It is hard to hide the truth...isn't it!  It takes a lot of work and effort to hide...layers and layers...as a matter of fact.

That sentence made me think of how much I have been able to embrace the concept of accepting that this Journey and accept that God is guiding me down a path of honesty...about things that are not always pretty, easy to hear and certainly not east to say! 

The LIGHT of this Journey illuminates a part of my life that I have preferred to confidently ( or not so confidently)  disguise with humor, bravado, plenty of "slimming" clothing and hundreds of minimizing bras! 

Each day of this Journey is like peeling off a thin layer of the disguise...at times I feel wounded by the revelations and other times I feel completely and totally free!!! 

I once had someone use the analogy that dealing with our history (our emotional wounding) is like healing a burn.  The layers of the burn have to be cleaned and removed in order for the layers of skin below the burn to heal.  The cleansing process can be excruciating but is so necessary for the healing. 

I am grateful for this Journey...even the painful parts!!

OK...before I go...just another reminder that we are looking for silent auction items, donations, any good fundraising ideas for the Play It Forward-Rally to Serve event. 

By the end of tomorrow, we should have an official event page on Facebook.  I will let you know so that you can check it out. 

I must get some rest!  Goodnight my Friends...Be Happy with who you are and don't be afraid to tell your truth!!!