Just because I happen to be a rather large woman in my 40s, DON'T assume that I am, in any way, sloppy, lazy, or a glutton whose only desire in life is food.
I happen to be a very "all-together " black female who has ALWAYS been on the large side; in fact, I remember as a child as being bigger than average. I was never forced to go onto a diet to lose weight; my mama knew I was a good eater, ands she never put me down or told me to lose the weight.
As I got older, the heavier I got. By the time I was 16/17, I probably weighed close to 200 pounds. Yet did my being fat bother me? N-O. I had tons of friends, I spent a lot of time taking the dog for a walk (the dog has since died; I've now since gotten a cat), and I enjoyed going out and going to the Broadway plays and shows with my mother and with my friends.
I am now 44, and I weigh 245 pounds. I am quite a bit bigger than I was when I was younger, but I think that is partly due to the stress I've felt since last September, when America was cruelly attacked by the terrorists, and, as a result, I lost my job
(I worked at the World Trade Center, and out of my 14 co-workers, 11 died; the only ones who survived were my boss--and he was burned in the attack; he is still in the hospital recovering from his burns as I write this--, my co-worker, Wendie, and myself--and I ended up losing my leg due to a severe bacterial infection that nearly cost me my life), not to mention, my leg, as I just mentioned above. I also lost my 11 co-workers, as I just said. I have since been undergoing extensive psychotherapy to help me deal with the trauma; and I am SLOWLY getting better; but I'll probably always have problems dealing with what happened that awful, incredible, unforgettable day.
I have since fully recovered from my bacterial illness, but I now use crutches to get around; and my MS has gotten worse, too, since the September 11 terrorist attacks. I have been using my wheelchair quite a lot as of late, and my vision has been blurring worse than ever. (I have had MS for nearly 21 years now.)
But despite the tragedies I have experienced the past year I am FINALLY starting to get my life together. I am back in my beloved New York City (but I MUST admit that, without the Twin Towers gracing the city skyline, I get a lump in my throat, a pain in my chest, and tears in my eyes each time I think of what those terroristic b-------- did. I have felt incredible sadness, and I have felt incredible anger towards those who did this horrific deed.
But I DO have a piece of good news to share with y'all. I am now OFFICIALLY ENGAGED!! Yes, I am going to get MARRIED!! I have fallen in love with Franklin Jefferson, who I met while I was in the hospital while I was in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives and works. He is an incredible dancer, and he is large, too, like me. He is an ex-football player, and he is a BIG DUDE!! He is also passionate about his patients, and he is very good at his job. He is also a dynamite cook and knows how to cook all of my favorite things.
Think I'll keep him...
Like a lot of fat people I sometimes wonder if I need to go on a diet, but then I hear of how dangerous diets are, and I think, Naaa. No need. I'm happy just being me and the way I am. I may have an obvious physical handicap, but I haven't let it stop me! I still do the things I love most, although right now, since losing my leg last year, I now need a LITTLE extra help in the form of my wheelchair or my crutches. Oh, by the way, in case anyone tries to bother me, I'll just give them a good whack with my crutch! (Smile.) Then they'll think TWICE than to bother me ever again!!
And despite being fat, I am NOT lazy. I have been very busy looking for work (but haven't had any luck; still, I remain hopeful). I exercise daily and go swimming at the local pool three times a week to help my body and my attitude. I eat anything I want; I just do it in moderation. In other words, I DON'T overdo and make a glutton of myself. I eat rather sensibly.
And I am NOT stupid. I happen to be very smart. And talented. I am NOT bragging, mind you..I'm just telling you the honest-to-God truth!!
In fact, this fat chick is IN CONTROL of her destiny. And right now her destiny couldn't look any better.....
Kimberly has gone from a well-paid female executive one minute to a desperate woman the next. Thinking her day can't possibly get any worse, she finds out how wrong she is when she goes home. The only way to set things straight is to get even.
(Baxter Springs, Kansas) - Discover how a beloved high school guidance counselor twists fate on behalf of four troubled misfits, and turns their life around.
