I’ve never driven a big rig, so what I’m about to say is going to be pure
speculation. I would think that if you are on the road for endless hours in a
day, endless days in a week and endless weeks in a month that eventually, you
would start to see and hear things that aren’t there. If there are any truck
drivers out there to confirm, or clarify, my suspicions, I welcome the
correction. The reason I bring this up is because after being on this road trip
for over two years now, there are times when I question my sanity and if I am
doing the right thing. Then, something really cool happens: a phone call out of
the blue to congratulate me on my success, a perfect stranger hearing about my
journey and asking me questions, or— and this is truly telling of how far I have
come— my new-found desire to reach out to others who are trying to start their
own journey. There was a time where I could barely speak to small groups of
people, now I am more outgoing and willing to share my story. I don’t generally
like to talk about myself, but I’ve found that people are curious, fascinated
even, by what I have to say.
When I was overweight, I hid behind my inability (or rather, lack of
desire) to lose weight by saying that “tall or short, fat or thin, blonde or
brunette, I’m the same person. If people don’t like me, it’s their problem, not
mine.” And to a certain extent, that is a true statement and still holds water.
However, what I have discovered about me is that even though I still have blonde
hair and blue eyes, I’m still the same height as I was before, I am not the same
person. And it doesn’t really have to do with being fat or being healthy (I
don’t like the word thin because A) I’m not and B) it’s not an accurate
description of a human body. Air is thin, fabric is thin, paper is thin, hair is
thin...people are not!), but rather it has to do with being comfortable in my
own skin. I just have a better quality of life all the way around and it is due
to a healthier lifestyle, not just losing weight. Yes, it sucks that we are a
country obsessed with skinny celebrities, but skinny can be as unhealthy as fat
(I know, I shouldn’t use the “F” word! Margie the Magnificent would probably
scold me.) I can’t wait for the day in America where “healthy” is the look of
choice for cover girls and runway models rather than grown women masquerading as
8-year old boys.
So, yes, I often times wonder if being on this road trip has made me see
and hear things, twisted my train of thought. But then I realize that what has
really happened is that my reality has changed and my view of the world is
different. Long road trips will do that to you and you really only have two
choices: hold on and adjust to the curves in the road or stop the car and wait
for things to calm down. Me, I’ll hold on for the ride, it’s much more
interesting than sitting on the side watching other people pass you by.
Don’t let life suck the life out of you, keep moving forward or you’ll
never get to the end.
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