The title for this blog has been sitting in the back of my mind for many years now and I\u2019ve never quite had the guts to write it. For those young folks out there, \u201cthe skinny\u201d refers to an old expression that dates back to WWII. It means the inside story, the real truth, the background.<\/p>\n
I kind of hoped that one day I could write a version called \u201cThe Skinny\u201d on Why I Wasn\u2019t<\/strong><\/span><\/em>. As in past<\/u> tense. I would reflect on they way things were when I was carrying those extra pounds and how I had overcome, how I had triumphed. I wouldn\u2019t be so boastful as to write one entitled \u201cThe Skinny\u201d on How I Am<\/strong><\/span><\/em> because I wouldn\u2019t want to throw it in anyone\u2019s face who hadn\u2019t quite arrived like I had yet, but I could encourage and empower others like me who had something about themselves they wanted to change.<\/p>\n But today as I sit at my computer I chuckle over those dreamy ponderings of a girl from the past. Instead, here I am, wrapped up in a blanket at the computer with my Christmas stocking Chocolate Letter K half-eaten beside me, two weeks of Christmas holidays, two years of Covid and 20+ years of parenting behind me, and I know\u2026it\u2019s time.<\/p>\n Blog titles or ideas often come to me at the strangest of times. Most ideas come from my crazy household but sometimes God just plants an idea in my head. I either use it now or save it for a later time. This one came to me clearly one day when I was in the shower. Really, Lord? Sheesh. Nothing like laying it bare, both inside and out.<\/strong><\/span> This was most definitely one idea that I sat on.<\/p>\n But as the years have gone by, I\u2019ve grown. And no, I\u2019m not talking wider!! Older, wiser, and more content with who God created me to be. For years the title of the blog has been poking at me, asking to be written.<\/p>\n And so here I go: \u201cThe Skinny\u201d on Why I\u2019m Not<\/em>.<\/p>\n I like chocolate. I\u2019m a parent. I live vicariously through my sons as they win provincial volleyball tournaments and my heart beats fast enough during those games to rival any cardio workout. I put myself last. I come from a tradition where every get together and family gathering centers around food. I enjoy baking. Salads take longer to make.<\/strong><\/span> I\u2019ve struggled with several health issues that have resulted in being perpetually tired. I hate running. I love teatime with friends. I\u2019m busy. Life somehow got away on me and I can\u2019t seem to catch up.<\/p>\n I could come up with a thousand more reasons\/excuses\/explanations.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, I like chocolate, but I don\u2019t live on it. Salads take longer to make but we eat them regularly. I don\u2019t overeat at all those family gatherings. I love to cuddle up on the couch with my boys, but I don\u2019t sit there all day. I may hate running but I like going for walks and bike rides with my family.<\/p>\n So, what is \u201cthe skinny\u201d on why I\u2019m not? Maybe the real true skinny, the inside story or background info shouldn\u2019t be about why I\u2019m not<\/em><\/strong>.<\/span> Maybe the real skinny should be about why I\u2019m okay<\/strong><\/span> with that fact that I\u2019m not<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019d love to be in better shape, healthier, more active. I\u2019m not throwing in the towel. But I\u2019m also okay with where God has called me to be today.<\/strong> <\/span>I\u2019m not sure I could have said that 10 years ago. But He loves me. My husband loves me. My boys love me. My friends and family love me. My students love me (well, at least I hope most of them do). And so, I finally have to believe them all and love me too.<\/p>\n My downfall was to look around and compare. And I don\u2019t think I\u2019m alone in that. Other people\u2019s issues might not be about \u201cskinny,\u201d but I know you\u2019ve all got your insecurities too.<\/p>\n But those comparisons are dangerous because they are highly flawed. Just because someone embodies my notion of skinny or pretty or happy or well to do or popular with everyone, doesn\u2019t tell me squat about them. I only see a tiny bit of the outside fa\u00e7ade. Just the same way someone can\u2019t look at me and make broad strokes about how I eat or care about my health.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Skinny\u201d behind my story is not that juicy or exciting. I\u2019m me. I\u2019m His.<\/strong><\/span> And when I am thankful and content in that knowledge, that\u2019s when I can say I\u2019m okay.<\/p>\n And that holds true for the rest of my life too.<\/p>\n 2022 is here. As far as numbers go, it\u2019s a good-looking number. All those even numbers and curvy little twos.<\/strong><\/span> I anticipated it for quite some time and had high hopes that it was going to be the solution to my problems, just the way \u201cskinny\u201d was going to make me happy.<\/p>\n Covid, droughts, floods, disharmony, everything that 2021 represented with its pointy, sharp-edged number one tagged on to the end, was going to be left behind and forgotten.<\/p>\n And then the hammer came down again.<\/p>\n No groups. PHOs were published. School emails flooded my inbox. Maybe 2022 wasn\u2019t as good looking as I had imagined her to be, and those old feelings of discontentment threatened to steal my joy.<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s time for me to simplify and stick to the daily discipline of thankfulness and choosing contentment. And when I do, 2022 starts to look a little less frumpy and disappointing and I can say I\u2019m okay with where I\u2019m at.<\/p>\n My goals have changed somewhat over the years but I\u2019m not raising the white flag yet. I bought an Apple watch, wrapped it, put it under the Christmas tree and addressed it to myself. To Krista, love Krista.<\/strong><\/span> I\u2019m hoping it\u2019ll give me that little push I need.<\/p>\n Though I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m sold on it yet. The bossy little thing just told me \u201cTime to stand.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Guess that\u2019s my cue to stop pontificating!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The title for this blog has been sitting in the back of my mind for many years now and I\u2019ve never quite had the guts to write it. For those young folks out there, \u201cthe skinny\u201d refers to an old expression that dates back to WWII. It means the inside story, the real truth, the […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":5972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,28],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-5969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-character","category-nurturing-hearts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5969"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5969\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5969"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abbotsfordchristian.com\/insideout\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=5969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Shower Inspiration<\/h2>\n
Beyond the Reasons<\/h2>\n
Not Juicy Or Exciting<\/h2>\n
2022: Good Looking or Not?<\/h2>\n