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My husband’s ex-wife was tall — probably 5’10″ or 5’11″, while I’m just under 5’4″ if I stand up real tall and do my Texas “big hair”. When we got married I moved into his house — the one previously inhabited by said ex-wife. In the kitchen, there were pot racks hanging from the ceiling that, even before RA and shoulder issues, I had problems reaching. I asked my husband to lower them for me.
“Oh,” he says, “you’re too short to reach the racks.”
“No,” I replied, “I’m exactly the right size. The racks are too high.”
Being a reasonably short person, I’ve spent my life adjusting the world around me to fit: moving the car seats up, lowering rods in my closets, adjusting chairs in my office. (Now that I have RA, I’ve had to make a few more adjustments, but that’s all part of the process.)
So you might understand the other day when I had a “duh!” moment. My entire perspective has been to make my surroundings fit me. So when I went shopping over the 4th of July weekend, I was frustrated that clothes didn’t fit me.
Duh! It wasn’t the clothes that didn’t fit me. It was that I had gained enough weight that I didn’t fit the clothes. It wasn’t the world I needed to change, it was me.
Fast forward three weeks and eight pounds of weight loss. I can now “shop in my closet” again and have been able to wear some of the clothes that have been languishing in their cleaner bags. I not only don’t have to spend money (yet) for new clothes, I get the feeling of accomplishment of wearing clothes that haven’t fit for a while.
All it took was a change of perspective from looking out, to looking in the mirror, to find the real issue.
Here’s hoping your perspective on life brings you a great outlook. Thanks for checking in.
I love this. I had a similar ‘epiphany’ regarding clothes when I started losing weight, too. I’d been frustrated, convinced that the clothing industry was making everything smaller than it’s actual size (as I recalled the size). Like suddenly, a size 18 was *really* a 16, etc. I was so steamed.
Imagine my surprise when, after losing 20 pounds, the size 18 was suddenly a bit loose. And after losing more, so was the 16 … Now I’m working on making a size 14 fit loosely instead of snugly. And I’ve realized that it’s not the clothing-makers fault that things weren’t fitting me — it was mine.
Onward and downward, Carla. Bravo to you for sticking to it. Doesn’t it feel GOOD? Still sending those good vibes your way. Thanks for sending them mine, too. ;o)
Congrats! Nothing better than discovering “new” clothes in your closet!
Love your line about being just the right size, though. It’s a keeper.
Carla,
Your right, we are the right height, everything it just placed too high.
I am 5’0 so I can appreciate how everything can be out of reach.
Thanks so much for your recent comments on my blog. Sharing your success with Enbrel is encouraging to me and as I gave my first injection yesterday, I thought about your success hoping to send good vibes to my own body.
Cathy