I haven’t written a Flashback Friday post in months. If you aren’t familiar with these posts, click here to read more about the series.
When I was emerging from the depths of disordered eating, underweight and unhappy, I had a memorable encounter one day with a stranger.
The morning started off, as it typically did, with me in my closet trying desperately to find something to wear. Something that fit. All of my clothes were baggy and I was hesitant to buy new, smaller clothes because to me, that meant I was committing to disordered eating. I mentioned in this post that I never lost sight of recovery.
I had a dentist appointment during my lunch break and there was a woman sitting next to me in the small waiting room. She was wearing the prettiest dress. I complimented her and she said, “Thank you, I stood in front of the mirror this morning trying to convince myself to leave the house in it. It makes me feel fat.”
I didn’t know how to respond. She was overweight. I was underweight. I could tell her that I had the exact opposite experience that morning, but would she believe me or understand? Would she think I was trying to falsely sympathize with her?
I’ll never know. I responded, “Well, I think you look beautiful!” And with that, she opened up about how she was going to her first meeting at Weight Watchers later that afternoon and how much she feared the number she would see on the scale.
Haven’t we all, at one time or another, feared the number on *the scale? That number has the power to dictate our mood, change our intuitive eating choices, and worst of all, leave us questioning our worth. I encouraged my new stranger-friend and she was receptive and grateful that I cared enough to listen to her. And I did care. I still do care. I think that simple kindness is vitally important in our lives.
I hope you’ll take 2 things from this post:
1. Being kind to other human beings, even especially strangers, makes this world a better place for all of us. A more open, loving place where barriers are broken, connections are made and honest communication can occur.
(source: Operation Beautiful )
2. We are not the number on a scale. We are mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, fathers, sons, husbands, wives, cousins, friends, teachers, students, writers, workers, runners, artists, designers, developers, creators, speakers, listeners and more. But most importantly, we are all deserving of love and we are all uniquely beautiful just the way we are. No matter the number on the scale.
*I understand that when you are trying to lose or gain a significant amount of weight, weighing yourself on a scale in a doctor’s office or a clinic can be an important part of the process.
Have you ever had a positive conversation with a stranger?
I think the blogging world is a perfect example of the kindness of strangers. Strangers who become friends. Friends who become a support system.
Happy Friday beautiful people!
~Bird
I haven’t written a Flashback Friday post in months. If you aren’t familiar with these posts, click here to read more about the series.
When I was emerging from the depths of disordered eating, underweight and unhappy, I had a memorable encounter one day with a stranger.
The morning started off, as it typically did, with me in my closet trying desperately to find something to wear. Something that fit. All of my clothes were baggy and I was hesitant to buy new, smaller clothes because to me, that meant I was committing to disordered eating. I mentioned in this post that I never lost sight of recovery.
I had a dentist appointment during my lunch break and there was a woman sitting next to me in the small waiting room. She was wearing the prettiest dress. I complimented her and she said, “Thank you, I stood in front of the mirror this morning trying to convince myself to leave the house in it. It makes me feel fat.”
I didn’t know how to respond. She was overweight. I was underweight. I could tell her that I had the exact opposite experience that morning, but would she believe me or understand? Would she think I was trying to falsely sympathize with her?
I’ll never know. I responded, “Well, I think you look beautiful!” And with that, she opened up about how she was going to her first meeting at Weight Watchers later that afternoon and how much she feared the number she would see on the scale.
Haven’t we all, at one time or another, feared the number on *the scale? That number has the power to dictate our mood, change our intuitive eating choices, and worst of all, leave us questioning our worth. I encouraged my new stranger-friend and she was receptive and grateful that I cared enough to listen to her. And I did care. I still do care. I think that simple kindness is vitally important in our lives.
I hope you’ll take 2 things from this post:
1. Being kind to other human beings, even especially strangers, makes this world a better place for all of us. A more open, loving place where barriers are broken, connections are made and honest communication can occur.
(source: Operation Beautiful )
2. We are not the number on a scale. We are mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, fathers, sons, husbands, wives, cousins, friends, teachers, students, writers, workers, runners, artists, designers, developers, creators, speakers, listeners and more. But most importantly, we are all deserving of love and we are all uniquely beautiful just the way we are. No matter the number on the scale.
*I understand that when you are trying to lose or gain a significant amount of weight, weighing yourself on a scale in a doctor’s office or a clinic can be an important part of the process.
Have you ever had a positive conversation with a stranger?
I think the blogging world is a perfect example of the kindness of strangers. Strangers who become friends. Friends who become a support system.
Happy Friday beautiful people!
~Bird