It's Not Easy Being Fat

It's easy to get fat, but it sure isn't easy living a fat person's life.

I was reminded of this again today when I took my two kiddos out to a beautiful children's farm and playground.

There were slides and tractors and fun playground equipment for the kids to play on, and inevitably, get stuck on. Then it was up to me to climb up, if I could, and save them from the impending peril of actually going down the slide, or climbing off the tractor.

I was terrified I was going to break something. I'm not afraid to get dirty, or be silly with my kids. I am, however, afraid of breaking a wooden playground set into tiny, splintery pieces and making children cry by accidentally landing on them. None of that happened; it's just a fear of mine, and it hampers what I allow myself to do with my kids.

Thank goodness I don't have to tie these. I
don't think I'd survive. I'd probably pass
out first. Can you imagine the 911 call?
"This lady isn't breathing. She was
trying to tie a pair of hightops, and
it was too much for her."

The other day my oldest daughter bought a beautiful butterfly decoration for her bedroom. She used her own money to purchase it after we visited a butterfly house in St. Louis. It took 3 days for me to get my courage up enough to climb on top of her three-foot tall dresser to put it up, because I was sure I was going to break it. Thankfully, the dresser held. The butterflies are beautifully hung, and all is right with the world.

Bending over isn't easy for a fat person, either.
When my youngest daughter's sandal comes unbuckled I invariably hear, "Mama! Shoe!" and I know I'm going to need to find a place to sit her up, or sit me down. Today I could find neither, and I had to suck in a huge breath, and try to get her shoe buckled before I needed to breathe again. Fat cuts off the respiratory system when you bend over. It took me three tries to get her little sandal velcroed back so she could go play.

And right now as I type this, my ankles are so swollen that I can barely flex my feet. It's painful, and frustrating, and I'm ready to be done with this.