Have you ever done anything in life and after, you see things differently. In the Late 90's my husband and I ( we were like 23ish ) went on a cross country trip from one end of the U.S to the other. We saw so many amazing things. Coming from Ny, it was mind blowing to see things like the Salt Flats in the Midwest, the deserts, and even Lake Tahoe, The grand Canyon, And the beaches of California. Wild bear in the Rockies, Amish In PA. From that moment on our Prospectives changed. We knew what else was out there, and anytime we saw a movie that included one of these Places we could relate to it in a different way. One of the things I love about traveling.
I realized watching a movie today that this can happen with life experiences too. I was watching Practical Magic. A movie I have seen many many times. But in the past I watched this and any other movie for that matter, in a kind of disconnect. You see when you are obese, and have been larger for most of your life, you see things through a whole different perspective. The cute dresses they might wear you think 1- I'll never be able to wear that ( I mean that's ingrained in your brain) 2- things seem more exotic because they are unobtainable 3-you notice details less.Everything is just fantasy.
For example , there is a scene where Sandra Bullock is a cute shop owner that makes homemade "witch" creams etc...Nicole kidman is her outsider sister who is a rebel. The Sandra Bullock character always seemed exotic to me because of the clothes she wore. Cute little sun dresses and femine sweet things. Nicole kidman wore Black pants. Black everything and although her outfits were sexy , I could relate to the wearing of black. I would never be able to find cute dresses and Clothes like the other character would wear and even if I did I'd Never Look like that in them or be as free spirited in them.
Now watching the same movie , ( and I am no Sandra bullock ) I watch this same scene and I love that dress .I think "wow I should look for a similar dress and the cute little cardigan sweater" . I never noticed the sweater before but I have since obtained a bit of a cardigan sweater addiction. I felt like I was able to relate to the image I was seeing in front of me. And maybe you can't understand this unless you go through it but it's very similar to seeing those sights across the states. I had seen those places before in books and movies but until I was there, I had no idea what the sounds were, the smells , but after being there, those books and scenes in movies were more exciting, more real and details popped out that I never realized before.
This is the same reason I volunteer to speak about weight loss surgery and be on billboards and in newspaper articles. Why I love meeting random people in my neighborhood because of the billboards and newspaper ads, They come to me and tell me their stories of either struggle with weight or victories and I can truly understand both perspectives and that is not such a common thing in life. You know the saying " you don't know till your in the the other persons shoes". Well I have been there. I Love that part of my journey. Some people regret ever being obese, and clearly if health issues occurred, its understandable, But I don't. Thanks to every part of my Journey I have a very unique and compassionate perspective about weight. failures, struggles and the accomplishments that can be made. How hard it is too keep going. How hard it is to change your life completely. How hard it is to fear so many different things related to the process and how important those small everyday victories are. How Important it is to have a cheerleader in your corer no matter what happens, no matter what you face. As for my perspective, As for my journey, I wouldn't change a thing.
I realized watching a movie today that this can happen with life experiences too. I was watching Practical Magic. A movie I have seen many many times. But in the past I watched this and any other movie for that matter, in a kind of disconnect. You see when you are obese, and have been larger for most of your life, you see things through a whole different perspective. The cute dresses they might wear you think 1- I'll never be able to wear that ( I mean that's ingrained in your brain) 2- things seem more exotic because they are unobtainable 3-you notice details less.Everything is just fantasy.
For example , there is a scene where Sandra Bullock is a cute shop owner that makes homemade "witch" creams etc...Nicole kidman is her outsider sister who is a rebel. The Sandra Bullock character always seemed exotic to me because of the clothes she wore. Cute little sun dresses and femine sweet things. Nicole kidman wore Black pants. Black everything and although her outfits were sexy , I could relate to the wearing of black. I would never be able to find cute dresses and Clothes like the other character would wear and even if I did I'd Never Look like that in them or be as free spirited in them.
Now watching the same movie , ( and I am no Sandra bullock ) I watch this same scene and I love that dress .I think "wow I should look for a similar dress and the cute little cardigan sweater" . I never noticed the sweater before but I have since obtained a bit of a cardigan sweater addiction. I felt like I was able to relate to the image I was seeing in front of me. And maybe you can't understand this unless you go through it but it's very similar to seeing those sights across the states. I had seen those places before in books and movies but until I was there, I had no idea what the sounds were, the smells , but after being there, those books and scenes in movies were more exciting, more real and details popped out that I never realized before.
This is the same reason I volunteer to speak about weight loss surgery and be on billboards and in newspaper articles. Why I love meeting random people in my neighborhood because of the billboards and newspaper ads, They come to me and tell me their stories of either struggle with weight or victories and I can truly understand both perspectives and that is not such a common thing in life. You know the saying " you don't know till your in the the other persons shoes". Well I have been there. I Love that part of my journey. Some people regret ever being obese, and clearly if health issues occurred, its understandable, But I don't. Thanks to every part of my Journey I have a very unique and compassionate perspective about weight. failures, struggles and the accomplishments that can be made. How hard it is too keep going. How hard it is to change your life completely. How hard it is to fear so many different things related to the process and how important those small everyday victories are. How Important it is to have a cheerleader in your corer no matter what happens, no matter what you face. As for my perspective, As for my journey, I wouldn't change a thing.
You know I think you're right. Being obese does tend to make most of us more compassionate (and less shallow!).
ReplyDeleteGreat post!