Standing tall

Back in February, a good friend of mine took me clothes shopping.

I had some money from tax return, and I was just tired of all the same clothes.
This friend has excellent taste, and she is honest. A great combination in a person when you are clothes shopping, let me tell you.

Well, the evening was a huge success. I got some really great things from the Ann Taylor outlet and just felt a little recharged.

But as her and I were talking, we discussed, of course, size, weight, what makes us look smaller, etc.

She mentioned that when I stand up straight I look ten pounds thinner.

That seemed like a pretty quick fix. But it's hard for me, for two reasons.

The first reason is that my knees are double jointed. So if I relax my knees, everything goes out of whack and I slouch.

The second reason is that when I'm heavier, I know that I slouch because deep down I'm hoping to hide from the world. I'm hoping no one will notice me and therefore, not notice that I am chubby.

But the real result of slouching is that I just look even heavier then I am, and I look slouchy and hunched.

So ever since her and I talked (and just to give proper credit, my husband has been telling me this same thing for years) I have been making a conscious effort to stand up straight.

And it makes a world of difference.

You have to try it. Stand in front of a mirror and slouch, and then stand up straight. Do this a couple of times in a row and you'll be amazed at the difference.

We can't really hide from the world. And we shouldn't. Whether we are overweight, we got a bad haircut, or we just don't like ourselves, hiding doesn't effect the people who we are hoping to hide from.

When we try to hide, we are just reinforcing in our own minds that we are not worth shining and letting the world see the light that each of us has inside.

So stand tall, and be proud of who you are.