So I have this friend. Kind of. We used to be friends, way back in 7th grade, though we only really knew each other through the internet, and only met in person once. We were never that close, but my brief encounter with this girl effected me so much.

She was everything I wanted to be. She's an outgoing girl, who would rather take the hard road JUST because she likes a challenge. She's a leader, and she follows the beat to her own drum. She puts herself to the test and strives for only the best. She was intelligent and made fantastic marks in school, and was beautiful and thin. I wanted all of that.

I remember specifically at one point she commented about how she didn't eat dinner. Only lunch and breakfast. The reason for that, she said, is because she was active in the mornings, but she didn't need the extra energy in the afternoons, and that always stuck in my mind. I remember another time when she remarked that she wanted to be a veterinarian because only less than half of people who went to school to be a vet were actually able to achieve that goal. She not only dealt with challenges, but LOOKED for them!

In middle school, after our real life meeting, her knee became very messed up (I don't know the detail). She had to start using crutches, and then graduated down to a wheelchair. Yet this challenge that interfered her life never stopped her from pushing forward. She didn't seem to change at all.

Today, many years later from that 7th grade girl, I ran into her LiveJournal like I do every couple years. She's no longer in a wheelchair, but still herself. Now she's in her second year of college, and proving to be a true leader.

Curiously, I clicked the link to her youtube account that I saw.

I was shocked.

I hadn't seen this girl in seven years at least, so I shouldn't have been. But in my mind, this girl was the definition of perfect. Like I mentioned, she was--is--everything I want to be. But upon clicking her youtube link, I quickly discovered that she was no longer that petite girl I knew. She gained some weight, and I can tell she weighs... well, more than me.

WHAT A REVELATION!

Ladies (and guys)! Many of us, myself included, us our weight as an excuse. It holds us back. I tend to think "if I were small like her, maybe I could have that kind of life..." NO! She is continuing to be her "screw what the world thinks, I'm living life for me" attitude! Nothing can stop this girl, and I should have seen this sooner! How blind I feel

The only thing stopping us from being who we want to be is our attitudes, NOT our appearance. Not our skills, either. Not our situation. I wish I had realized this sooner.

Great post, well said and thank you for sharing

I agree - great post!

That's amazing.

It's just.. we tend to associate those good traits you mentioned (being outgoing, beautiful, and smart) with being thin. And while I'm sure being 304 pounds kept me from at least one of those things, we can't associate good adjectives with "thin" and bad ones (lazy, ugly, and dumb) with being fat. It shouldn't be that way.

Wild Vulpix,
Very introspective post! I really enjoyed hearing about your amazing friend.
And while you may wish you had learned her secrets sooner, I think it is never too late to be the person you want to be! We can all reinvent ourselves at any age ... or weight!

This was an inspiring read! Thank you for posting your experience!!

Kinda reminds me of the second quote I've got in my signature:

"The only thing standing between who you are and who you want to be is what you do"

It's all in the doing... Ain't that the truth?

Something else or should I say someone else, just popped into my head when I re-read the title of this thread and it's directly health style related - "I want to be who She is"

I've had this friend for a long time who has always been a very health conscious person. You can't help but see it. It's part of her make up. She plays tennis, is a gym rat of major proportions, is always taking long walks and encouraging everyone else to do so, takes active vacations, eats beautifully and you can tell she makes a conscious effort to take her of herself.

And for years and years I always thought, "gosh, why can't I be like her, I want to be like her" And than one day it hit me - well than BE like her.

Duh.

Great post! So honest!

Robin, I so identify with this. My best friend since 6th grade is this type of person. We live in different states now and a few years ago she came down to my place to vacation. Living with her full time for a week I initially found her healthy behaviours to be a bit off-putting. It seemed pretty self-involved that her health and fitness was front and center all waking hours. She wasn't obnoxious about it but it was definitely there. I remember specifically her checking carb content on the milk packages and getting a bit panicky when she emptied her water bottle while we were sight-seeing.

But after initially thinking "I'm glad I'm not that shallow", I realized putting her health first was NOT shallow and besides, look at the difference in us. I was a 265 lb. marshmallow and she was a vital, active woman. Which one did I really want to be?