Don’t Assume, You Ass

Soooo, we’re getting ready to head south for vacation soon. Yeah, I know, summer is almost over, but here’s a secret…. AFTER labor day, cottages and hotel rooms are HALF price! It’s still hot as balls down south, so it’s not like it’s too late in the season.

The other perk? Less families on vacation means less families at the hotel pool, and less families on the beach. (This is great when you’re a special needs family.) The other perk…. Almost all of the beach shops are having clearance sales on their summer stock, so souvenirs are usually half off. I digress, let’s get into this!

    I’m a big girl. It’s no secret, there’s no hiding it.

I’m not proud of it, nor am I ashamed of it. It is what it is. What I AM ashamed of is a couple of things I will cover today. Reminder, these are MY opinions and feelings, so I may not be in the majority here, but I don’t care. I’ve always rather liked being a minority. (Cue Green Day Minority. My brain runs on music people!)

When you ASSUME, you make an A$$ out of U and Me. (Thank you for this witty repartee Mr. Salsman! You rocked freshman Science!)  Sorry, I’m easily sidetracked.

I digress.  Assuming anything about anyone is super shameful in my eyes! When most people see fat people like me, they ASSUME that I’m lazy. Oh honey, I wish I had time to be lazy. I don’t feel the need to justify my life or how busy it is. (I lied, I kick ass, and I’m proud of how hard I work! I’m a housewife, whom home schools an autistic child, works part time as a review blogger, runs an autism support page, and attempts to run a local support group.)

So yeah, no real time to be lazy. But why then are you fat? Well, most people that assume that probably don’t care to know, but I’m sick. I’m chronically sick, and it’s no joke, it’s no excuse, it just is.

When I was prego with Liam I got FAT. I’m talking HUGE! I was on bed rest, so everything I ate went to my hips, thighs and ass. I lost all that baby weight. I looked great, and felt great. Liam was such a busy baby, I never had time to sit and relax. Then around the time he turned two, I started having problems.

Constant pain. Chronic sicknesses. It seemed I was at the doctors and hospitals more than I was home. The doctors couldn’t find the cause for any of it. After SIX long years, and every test you can imagine, I was told I had Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Hashimotos Disease, Non Alcoholic Liver Disease (fatty liver,) Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovaries, and MORE. YES MORE!

Let’s jump ahead to present day. I quit smoking three years ago, and since then, have been healthier lung wise. (I still get chronic sinus infections monthly because my immune systems attacks my own body.) I got a hysterectomy, so that pain is gone. However, there isn’t a day that goes by that on a pain scale of 1-10, I’m not sitting at a 4 or 5.

In order to clean my house I have to take narcotics for the pain. The next day, I can’t move. I can’t break my chores up during the school year, because I’m Liam’s teacher, so that’s out. This is my life. This is my reality. This is why I’m fat.

    The real reason for this post is coming, I promise!

The other thing that I find shameful…. when people say, “dress for the body you HAVE, NOT the body you WANT!” A few things about this. When it’s 80 plus degrees in the summer, I’m not going to wear a heavy tee shirt, and capri pants to cover my fat rolls. I’m NOT going to be uncomfortable to make YOU comfortable. I’m just not, and neither should anyone else.

     I’m not going to smash myself in a bikini either, (but if a large person wants to do so, so what!) As long as their boobs and coo coo are covered, then who are you to care?

As a mother, I personally take offense when I see “skinny” or “fat” women wearing something that let’s us all see their girl parts. (I don’t want my son seeing that!) Most men aren’t bothered by it if they think you’re skinny, but I promise, most mothers are. Going to the beach shouldn’t be like watching soft core porn. And that has nothing to do with size.

Wear what YOU want. Wear what make YOU comfortable. Just please, cover your family jewels because our kids don’t need to see that!

    Lastly, why do we need the labels fat and skinny?

It doesn’t tell us they type of person someone is. Like, “oh there’s fat Courtney! Do you know her?” That doesn’t tell you anything about me that you can’t see with your own damn eyes! Look past my fat, and find a word that REALLY describes me! (Geek, that’s what my hubby calls me. I’m good with geeky Courtney!)

I think I covered what I wanted to say. Who knows, I’ll probably edit the hell out of this before I publish it anyway.

End note: Please stop assuming, people. While you’re at it, stop judging too. You may find that you’re happier, because if you’re not judging, you won’t care about other people that are.

<3 <3 <3 <3

Courtney

A Legion for Liam

I am a SAHM. I prefer domestic goddess, but whatever. My son Liam is autistic and is the child I was told I would never have. He is MY MIRACLE! These are our stories.