My Book, My Body Poem

I have a little confession to make.

While I love to create beautiful and engaging presentations, I realized that I also was avoiding showing my face on camera.

At this point, I weigh the most that I ever have in my life. And while there are many reasons why I have gained weight in the last few years, none of them are an excuse. I am fully responsible for the unhealthy ways that I tried to cope with stress, anxiety, and grief.

I assumed that people who would not care about what I had to say because of my weight. In our society, we tend to assume that people who are overweight are lazy, unintelligent, undisciplined, "less than."

But I am none of those things.

Yes, I have struggled with my weight for the majority of my life, and I am taking steps to do something about it. The ironic thing is that I really do care about health and wellness (although you may not think so by looking at me).

I wrote this poem as a way to express my feelings and face my fears about being judged for the way that I look.

I pray that this will help someone else who is also struggling with the same fears and insecurities.

Our bodies - large and small - have carried us to wear we are now.

We can honor our bodies as they are while still working to improve - all the while remembering the "the house you see isn't me."