A 30-Day Challenge - Day 17

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

I got to thinking about it - I've never had a weight problem, but I've always had a body image problem. I remember the day it began too.

I was in the fourth grade at Russell School & I was walking in from recess with my friend Justine Sherry, who was Type I Diabetic & had to have snacks on hand while in class in case she went into insulin shock. (It made me kind of jealous. I wanted special treatment from the teacher & I wanted to eat sweet snacks whenever I pleased.)

While I was standing next to her in the reflection of the glass door, I noticed my big ol' fourth-grade thighs jiggling as I walked in next to her scrawny, little bean pole legs. (I was a thin fourth grader, but not as thin as Justine.) And from that day forward, I've had an issue with my thighs ... which moved to an issue with my entire legs ... then on up to my butt ... & now after having a child, on up to the spare tire that resides around my waist.

After having been diagnosed with not one, but two eating disorders in college, I managed to survive a few several LONG years of conquering my internal beast. With much love from my family & my sweet boyfriend at the time, Shad, I seemed to get a grasp on how to manage my thigh size.

Now after having had a child, some of my old issues had crept back into my life since my body changed so much. I had been & am still tackling a lot of the same problems I had before. The problem is, I just want to be "normal" & that's what this book (along with other assistance, including the love & encouraging words from my family) has helped me gain perspective. This book, Thin Is the New Happy actually came from my dear friend & cousin, Kelly, who listened to my long saga & was happy to hear that all I wanted to be was 'healthy'.

Thanks to God for hearing my prayers of desperation & thanks Kelly for the perspective I needed. Many thanks to my sweet husband for offering the shoulder to lean on while I cried over nonsense & thanks to all of you who put up with my thigh-issue-induced-mood-swings.