Home Again

In keeping up with my one move per year tradition, I've done it again, this time in a little brick house on 700 east. I didn't realize how much I missed living in an actual house until the last box was set down and we were officially done going to back to the condo on Alpine Way. Such relief! Wednesday was a full eight hours of moving and unpacking, Thursday was more unpacking and a game of Jenga in the living room so we could actually move around, Friday was hours at Ikea and Target for bookcases, rugs and a coffee table and dresser, and Saturday we finally got everything put together and finished. Phew! I love being back on flat ground where there is life! Living on the hill I felt like I never saw anyone outside, just cars flying around the corner on their way out. Now there is always someone walking or biking down the sidewalk, kids out in their yards and people playing in the park across the street. We're also right across the street from an elementary school and every morning as I get ready and leave for work I see all the tiny preschoolers with their over sized backpacks being dropped off and it's the cutest thing ever. This house is already the best.

I love coming home to a real house, there's such a different feeling to it than a condo or apartment. Especially when you live with one of your best friends. It also doesn't hurt that we're greeted by Sunshine the chicken when we come through the back gate. As the last few weeks of summer come to a close we'll enjoy our new screen door (funny how excited both of us were for that!) the beautiful garden our landlord has planted out front and the last little bits of warm sunshine pouring into the house. Meanwhile I'll secretly be moving around the house visualizing where Halloween and Christmas decorations will go.

On Body Image

Over the past two to three years there has been a major increase in body image advertising, almost shifting into propaganda. I get it, we should all love ourselves and not let others influence our self-esteem or tell us we’re not pretty based off of our current weight, but I have beef with this. Now before someone other than the two people I know read this blog freak out and attack me, this opinion is coming from an overweight girl who, as she types this, is stuffing her face with cool ranch Doritos so I know how the fatties feel.  Having self-confidence, to me, is one of the greatest attributes any human being can have. It radiates from you and draws people to you. Some of the best people I know are also some of the most confident. For the most part I think I’m a confident person, I have my moments like we all do, but I finally stopped letting my weight and appearance stop me from enjoying life while, unfortunately, letting my weight control my overall health.

Now that’s out of the way, let me get to my point: being overweight or obese isn’t healthy. I can love the way I look as much as I want, but it won’t change the fact I can’t keep up on a hike or that my knees swell and ache after any sort of activity, and sometimes for no reason at all. You can have the confidence to wear a mini skirt or bikini, but that doesn’t mean your vital organs aren’t working overtime time to keep you alive and moving in that mini skirt. We should love ourselves while also bettering ourselves. Doesn’t that make more sense? I know I run the risk of sounding like a hypocrite by posting this, or even thinking it, and I’ll work on putting my money where my mouth is instead of donuts and potato chips. Being sure to love me for me at the same time of course.

Climbing off my soap box now.

pic via Etsy