I never thought of myself as being "morbidly obese". My BMI just puts me there, in that category and I know that I am bigger than most of the people I know. So, I must be "obese". I just hate the word "morbid" applied to anything, not the least of all, myself. But, that BMI plus a brief history of hypertension and the fact that I do suffer from Sleep Apnea, are what hopefully will allow my insurers to give the final word on my surgical procedure. Without that word, it simply will not happen. So, every day, needless to say, I worry about being turned down. I should not. I am, after all, morbidly obese. Fact. More of a fact when I look in the mirror at my protruding butt and my "Is There a Baby in There" abdomen. (Too bad I'm not an armadillo, I'd be all set).
I reflect often on the days ahead, the days right before, during and after I become a "Sleever". The word "gift" goes through my thoughts like a ribbon. I am so glad that Suzanne chose that word when she addressed our workshop, giving us food for thought to weave into the landscape of our food for other things. While my new stomach will be an honored gift, there will be other gifts and I need to be open, ready for their arrival and welcoming as I would a gift from a loved one in a big box tied up with ribbon.
The grandchildren have been here for the past two days. Aged almost 9 and almost 11, they are active, messy, and always ready to eat, especially if there is sugar in the ingredients. They have, as do most kids, eyes that are larger than their stomachs and, as a consequence, there are always bits and scraps left over from the latest feed. The greatest part of this is the wake-up call. The voice inside my head that says....."you are not the garbage". It's that voice that also says, "Hey, if you're wondering how you got to be "morbidly obese", the answer is a leftover slice of pizza away. You see, I put on lots of poundage during my years as a mother to two kids and then, as a grandmother to two. No waster of food was I. Kids won't finish, I will. Those calories could not count, they're not in a plate! So then why, when I was doing one of my zillion diets, did I elect to spray leftovers with Windex as I cleared the dishes.
So thanks Kids. I love the gift. The affirmations and the awareness. I am NOT a garbage can, nor have I ever been. I'm a person who can and must look at food as sustenance only. That bin in the kitchen, that's where left over food belongs.
I reflect often on the days ahead, the days right before, during and after I become a "Sleever". The word "gift" goes through my thoughts like a ribbon. I am so glad that Suzanne chose that word when she addressed our workshop, giving us food for thought to weave into the landscape of our food for other things. While my new stomach will be an honored gift, there will be other gifts and I need to be open, ready for their arrival and welcoming as I would a gift from a loved one in a big box tied up with ribbon.
The grandchildren have been here for the past two days. Aged almost 9 and almost 11, they are active, messy, and always ready to eat, especially if there is sugar in the ingredients. They have, as do most kids, eyes that are larger than their stomachs and, as a consequence, there are always bits and scraps left over from the latest feed. The greatest part of this is the wake-up call. The voice inside my head that says....."you are not the garbage". It's that voice that also says, "Hey, if you're wondering how you got to be "morbidly obese", the answer is a leftover slice of pizza away. You see, I put on lots of poundage during my years as a mother to two kids and then, as a grandmother to two. No waster of food was I. Kids won't finish, I will. Those calories could not count, they're not in a plate! So then why, when I was doing one of my zillion diets, did I elect to spray leftovers with Windex as I cleared the dishes.
So thanks Kids. I love the gift. The affirmations and the awareness. I am NOT a garbage can, nor have I ever been. I'm a person who can and must look at food as sustenance only. That bin in the kitchen, that's where left over food belongs.
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