A total stranger may see me and they may not think anything about me at all, or they may think any number of things about me. Perhaps they think “She could use a lot of work, she’s nowhere near where she needs to be or could be.” And they would be right about that. But do they have any idea how far I’ve come?
Have you seen someone and thought, “Oh my, she should NOT be wearing that?” Or laughed at a guy wearing a muscle t-shirt with only a hint of definition, or perhaps none at all? Have you ever given thought to what they looked like before? Or do you just assume they’ve always looked that way and/or have nothing they should be proud of?
Maybe that woman with the muffin top that you shook your head at has actually been working her ass off and lost 80 pounds and is finally wearing that shirt she’s been waiting to fit into again. Maybe that man with the muscle T had no definition in his arms a couple months ago, but he’s been consistently working out and is really proud of his progress.
Or maybe, just perhaps, those people just want to wear what they want to wear and don’t give a fuck about what you think of them.
“But I don’t want to have to look at his gut hanging over his shorts.” Or “I don’t want to see her breastfeeding her baby when I’m trying to enjoy my meal.” There’s an easy solution to your “problem” and that is DON’T FUCKING LOOK, THEN! I don’t hear you saying jack shit about the alarming rate of deforestation in the Amazon. I don’t see you making the same kind of fuss over the current sex trafficking epidemic in the United States right now as you do about large women wearing tight leggings. So if you can turn a blind eye to actual important and pressing issues, I think you can find it within you to avert your fucking eyes from a person whose appearance you find unpleasant.
And when you see someone who you think is “showing off” their body and you believe they have no room to do so, maybe consider they’ve come a long way from where they started, and maybe they’re still going or maybe they’re satisfied with themselves as they are now.
As for me, as the title of this blog entry suggests and as my shirt declares, I am not done. I’ve come a long way as far as transforming my body, and I plan to continue. And not just my physical appearance. I’m working on my mental health as well. I am and always will be working on improving myself as a person, inside and out. And I’m doing it mainly for ME, but secondly, as an example for my daughters. Because I do not want them to be standing in line at a grocery store and only able to feel good about themselves by tearing others down, either out loud or just in their heads. I want them to know that they will never be done changing and growing and learning, and they should assume the same for everyone they meet, unless given an actual reason to believe differently.
I have a long way to go to reach certain goals of mine. And when those are met, I’ll make new ones. This will go on as long as I live.
I. Am. Not. Done.
THE DAILY COUG 