Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ego Boost

Going to a water park can be freeing. You know all those hang ups that we have about our bodies, especially when they are only covered by a few inches of fabric? This is what you'll learn:

1- You are by no means the fattest person on the planet, regardless of what you tell yourself in the mirror.
2- You are also not the whitest person. Less tan than others, maybe, but not the whitest.
3- Your swimsuit, while it may be last year's purchase, is not the ugliest, ill-fitting one in the joint.
4- You are not the laziest person there. That one person that you saw riding the slow-moving inner tube thingy? All day? That person is closer than you. At least you chased 2 boys walked around all day.
5- The cottage cheese on your thighs is nothing. Cute, even!
6- You are not the hottest mama there, either. Sigh.

Lest you think I'm being all Judgey McJudgerson, I'm not. I'm better at judging my own hang-ups than yours. It's just nice to know that I'm not alone in my hang-ups and flaws, ya know? What I do see is a much wider chunk of society than I usually do in my normal home/school/grocery store loop and that is freeing. What do you see when you go to the water park/beach/pool? I'm not the only one that gets an ego boost, am I?
Headless Mom

6 comments:

Ruralmama said...

Having been 5'3" all my life, and at one point having been 110lbs, and at another point 235lbs, and now being 184lb (and in the middle of weight loss extravaganza) I know exactly what you mean. It's not that we are being superior-ists, or superficial... it's that is makes us feel better knowing that no one else knows what journeys your body has been on, just like you cannot guess theirs. You can indulge in speculation internally...is that thin gal healthy? Did she use some kind of medical intervention to get that way, or was she just blessed with those genes? What about that really large guy...what's his deal? Ultimately, it's nice to know that there are very few people out there that look like cover models, and I think that's what those places do for us. Everyone has bad hair days, poor clothing choices for their errand running, and cellulite they'd like to hide better. It's all good.

I can't find my blog said...

@RuralMama-That is EXACTLY what I meant. Thanks for finding the words that I couldn't!

Rocks In The Wash said...

I LOVED your Ego Boost!! How come we get in such a mental fix sometimes? Thanks for sharing and it sounds like you had a great time! XXOOs

HolyMama! said...

what i REALLY like about those environments is seeing all sorts of peopople who seem completely un-self conscious. it's that much easier to think, "geez, kels, get OVER it."

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Well it's not the water park for me but even me who is overweight can see that I am not the worst thing out there and it gives me a boost too. (hanging at the airport a lot over the last few weeks gave me a great view of people) You are way ahead of the game and should be very pleased with yourself.

Jill said...

In a similar nature ... I got a huge ego boost regarding my parenting skills while at the County Fair last week.

I actually felt like a rock star compared to some moms I saw. Holy cow ... the yelling, the screaming, the belittling in public.

If I ever thought I was mean ... forget it. I looked like June Cleaver!