Out of the Shadows and into the Light
I work in downtown Minneapolis and try to take a 2 mile walk at lunch time most days. I don’t like to wait for stop lights, so I turn this way and that at intersections on my way to whatever destination strikes my fancy on a given day, depending on which direction has a “walk" sign. On this bright, but cool spring day use of that travel strategy found me constantly on the shadowed side of buildings block after block. I got cold and decided to wait at the next intersection so I could walk on the sunny side of the street. As I basked in that warm sunlight, it struck me that most of my life after weight loss surgery has been like the result of making that choice to cross over from the shadows into the light…..I feel happier, healthier and more confident. While I can’t hide as easily in the light as I once did in the shadows, hunkered down and watching life pass me by, I find that I don’t want to hide there too often any more either.
I still do look to those shadows once in awhile for the emotional comfort they seem to be able to provide. Most of that comfort, though, is based on an illusion I created in the past to be able to deal with the pain and forced social isolation of being a much larger man. So most days now I choose to be in the light, enjoying the warmth and vigor of a better life.
RP
