Putting Things Into Perspective

I got my hard cast on Monday. As expected, heavier and more uncomfortable. Positive thing about it is that it restricts to a large extent movement from calf to toes, and it is this lack of movement which is supposed to help heal my tendon.

I watched two programmes on the Learning Channel on Sunday night (or was it Monday morning?) which kind of put things back into perspective for me and reminded me to be grateful for everything I have. The first was about primordial dwarfs ("The Smallest People in the World") and it was quite enlightening. Adapting to a world not built for small people and furthermore the smallest and rarest of the two hundred types of dwarves takes character. Most of us never think about these people as we go about our lives everyday. The second one ("A New Face for Marlie") was about a Haitian girl who because of a non-hereditary genetic disorder had started growing a lesion on her face and which had over the years grown into a huge mass protruding from her face/neck. Scorned by fellow Haitians, her face engulfed by the growth which had made eating and breathing almost impossible and Haitian doctors unable to treat her, Marlie would have died if not for the help of a charity which took her to Miami and doctors there who waived their fees. The lesion was removed and she has since undergone further reconstructive surgery. So next time I feel like complaining about my foot, I will bear in mind what the Creator has blessed me with.

One of my sisters was telling me the other day that I will put on lots of weight sitting at home doing nothing and this is actually one of my fears. I am trying to eat light but I have resigned myself to some regression. Those who know me know about my rather healthy appetite (yes Mr. C I saw your comment about my eating an entire pizza in one go when I was at university), but many who have not seen me nor had a meal with me recently would be quite amazed at how much I now eat and the weight I have lost. I used to laugh when people would tell me when I was a teenager and in my early twenties that one day all the food I was consuming would catch up with me and I would not remain skinny forever. Well the trust I put in my fast metabolism was ill-founded and in the last few years I put on quite a bit of weight. I joined a gym in the fall of 2005 but was too inconsistent. That is until I saw my pics from a trip to Quito in April 2006. I was appalled and decided I needed to take some action. I don’t believe in all those fad diets etc. I think if one maintains a balanced, healthy diet of appropriate portions and exercises, then you are fine. I gradually reduced my portions, cut out the fats and unhealthy stuff, started snacking a lot on fruits and health bars so I wouldn’t be famished at meal times and tried to keep my gym attendance consistent. The result: weight loss and almost causing my sisters panic attacks when I went home last August. My sisters are from the old school- cook lots of food and feed the men and kids. When I went home in June/July 2005 I put on twenty-five pounds in a month so you know these women don’t play around when it comes to food!!!