putting it into perspective

It's amazing how quickly I can distract myself from what's really important.

How often I take things for granted.

I knew I was going to gain weight over Thanksgiving. How could I not? What I wasn't prepared for was how tight my pants would feel after only two meals of turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy.

Immediately I started beating myself up: "How could I gain that much weight in only one day? I'm such a pig. I'm so fat. Don't I have any self-control?"

(The answer, by the way, is no.)

And then I remembered a story I heard not to long ago, about a family with more health problems than you would believe. Cancer, MS, cancer again, brain tumors. You name it, it happened to them.

How can I be so worried, so upset, so caught up in gaining a couple pounds, when there are people out there with real problems?

My weight has always been an issue with me, and I've always been very sensitive about it. But I know I place too much importance on what the scale says. When will I learn to be thankful for what I do have instead of focusing on what I don't?