Today during the most boring and pointless of all professional developments I have ever attended, my colleagues and I discussed Texas musts. The conversation began when I admitted I had never indulged in a frito pie. Like never hearing of Pat Green, this too was absurd to my Texas-bred buddies. What else has Erin never experienced in Texas? What else MUST she do before she leaves the Lone Star State? Among the list came going to the coast. This is a time-honored tradition and one I have never participated in. Although I've never been invited to a weekend at one of the many coastal-city-hotspots, my friends knew there was something else keeping me from the sea. After all, I do lots of things by myself... so why not the beach? Well, I AM prone to sunburn. But the sun isn't the real problem - I do, after all, know how to apply sunscreen. I DO have a fear of underwater ocean animals. But that's probably more of an excuse than anything serious. The real reason, I confided in them, is that I don't quite feel comfortable tooling around in a swimsuit... whether or not I know anyone at the beach. I have some body esteem issues. And that's that. I really did anticipate some nodding heads of understanding and/or some similar stories pertaining to bathing-suit self esteem. Instead, my friend Sheri nearly knocked me upside the head in the kind way that she has and exclaimed, "Erin! You completed a marathon and you have a body esteem problem?! Get real!" And that is when some things kind of clicked in my head. Maybe I don't look exactly the way I want to. Perhaps I don't have the figure I'd ultimately like to have. When it all comes down to it... while it still matters to me... it doesn't REALLY matter. After all, my body - no matter the size or shape - did something that other bodies (even some more svelte and chiseled frames) never have. And that is catapult itself 26.2 miles. A quote I became especially fond of on the race course stated "I run because the mind is stronger than the body." I always thought that applied to me given the body that I have. And while my mind did help get me across the finish line, it was ultimately my body that moved me from the start to the finish. So thanks Sheri for saying what you did. I'm not completely cured by any means, but it is funny how a quick comment can begin to change your perspective.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
perspective
Today during the most boring and pointless of all professional developments I have ever attended, my colleagues and I discussed Texas musts. The conversation began when I admitted I had never indulged in a frito pie. Like never hearing of Pat Green, this too was absurd to my Texas-bred buddies. What else has Erin never experienced in Texas? What else MUST she do before she leaves the Lone Star State? Among the list came going to the coast. This is a time-honored tradition and one I have never participated in. Although I've never been invited to a weekend at one of the many coastal-city-hotspots, my friends knew there was something else keeping me from the sea. After all, I do lots of things by myself... so why not the beach? Well, I AM prone to sunburn. But the sun isn't the real problem - I do, after all, know how to apply sunscreen. I DO have a fear of underwater ocean animals. But that's probably more of an excuse than anything serious. The real reason, I confided in them, is that I don't quite feel comfortable tooling around in a swimsuit... whether or not I know anyone at the beach. I have some body esteem issues. And that's that. I really did anticipate some nodding heads of understanding and/or some similar stories pertaining to bathing-suit self esteem. Instead, my friend Sheri nearly knocked me upside the head in the kind way that she has and exclaimed, "Erin! You completed a marathon and you have a body esteem problem?! Get real!" And that is when some things kind of clicked in my head. Maybe I don't look exactly the way I want to. Perhaps I don't have the figure I'd ultimately like to have. When it all comes down to it... while it still matters to me... it doesn't REALLY matter. After all, my body - no matter the size or shape - did something that other bodies (even some more svelte and chiseled frames) never have. And that is catapult itself 26.2 miles. A quote I became especially fond of on the race course stated "I run because the mind is stronger than the body." I always thought that applied to me given the body that I have. And while my mind did help get me across the finish line, it was ultimately my body that moved me from the start to the finish. So thanks Sheri for saying what you did. I'm not completely cured by any means, but it is funny how a quick comment can begin to change your perspective.
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1 comment:
Erin - you're beautiful inside and outside.
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