I keep thinking about this funny story of shopping with Nana lately that keeps me chuckling. My nana really tried with me. She was not accustomed to dealing with a child as fat as I was. When she was a child and had gained a few extra pounds my great-grandmother (Grammy) took her to the doctor and Nana was put on a diet. During her pregnancies, my grandfather was in the Army and the Army hospitals were very strict about weight gain during pregnancies. That is probably why Nana was so calorie conscious. She was naturally a very active woman. At her prime, she was 5 foot 7 inches tall; just like me. If I had been born with her metabolism I would probably have grown to be somewhere between a size 10-12 just like her, but I was born with a different metabolism.
She did take me shopping. She tried to find trendy clothes in my size, which was not easy, in fact, impossible in Longview, for the most part, when I was growing up. But Nana lived in Kirkland and so Bellevue and Seattle were right there and it was an adventure. I remember, it was 1989 and we found this little shop that had the coolest clothes. I was a freshman in high school. We found this black outfit with leggings and a tunic top with cool puffy paint and mirrors and art all over both the top and the bottoms, the great geographic design sweater in bold colors and two pairs of jeans and then I tried on this other outfit…It was was a puffy onesie type outfit that was super popular at the time. It was covered in flowers and had this big white bib on the front and everyone was wearing them. I remember the torture of getting into it and then looking in the mirror and bursting out laughing! I could hear Nana asking me to come out. She was excited to see anything I tried on. But I told her no way! I looked like a big fat clown or a big puffy field of flowers! No one was going to see me in this! But I couldn’t stop laughing which was making it harder to get the darn thing off! After a few minutes. I heard her say in her measured voice how proud she was of me that I had a good sense of humor about myself.
I was the only fat person in my family. I know everyone was concerned about me, but I know Nana tried really hard to not give me as much of a hard time as she could have. She did give me some good advice when she could. Advice that I have carried with me. My family eats a lot of vegetables so that has been a blessing; even my doctor, when I was diagnosed with diabetes had said that I may have had it for a long time, but controlled it through diet. Nana said when I was at a party, I could eat as many raw fruits and veggies I wanted without feeling guilty. When you are surrounded with treats, that is a helpful piece of advice. She also told me when we are having things like cookies for treats, that if we have more than 3, we have binged. I can’t say I haven’t ever binged, but it has helped me set boundaries for myself when I was trying to be mindful. When I have set a rule of exercise routine in my life, it was easy because I always saw her working out in front of the TV, she always was willing to teach me a new dance step or go for a walk with me, activity was something she made part of her life and she showed it to me.
As I became an adult, I know it was probably harder on her. She had her ideas. I felt it was stressful to her that I was so overweight. She saw it as a barrier in my life, and in some ways it was and is, but I have never been able to get rid of it. Even as she put Richard Simmons books and videos within my reach. I seem to be having some success with the help of Mounjaro, now, but that will be a slow process. Insulin resistance is a real thing. But I know she can see that I am trying to make the best of every day now and I am dreaming and working towards new things all the time. Unlike Nana, I don’t believe that at a certain age, we should stop doing things, I am just getting started. I know she is with me and we are going to have a great time!
~
Feel free to leave your comments below!
My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven.
For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Christian, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information.
If you are interested in becoming a Christian…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this:
Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world.
I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me.
I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
1
20
20
20
Please wait...
