's motd Saturday May 28, 2011

[Guest guest]

SERENDIPITY

Saturday, 28 May 2011

For a few weeks now, I've been

thinking about a lady who used to visit Slimmons

regularly, taking classes with us. I used to see her

just about every time I taught. But then, without

warning or any kind of good-bye, she seemed to

simply disappear from class. I really missed seeing

her there, too.

Now, last weekend, they held this great arts festival

at the beautiful city park across the street from

Slimmons. It's an event they do every year and

really is quite fabulous. Artists from all over

California take part in this festival displaying their

wonderful creations. There are original paintings,

sculptures, lithographs and even handmade furniture on

display. And, I should point out, the artist who

lives inside me loves seeing all of there

incredible works of art assembled in one place.

So after class one weekend, I

drove home, changed clothes then drove back to

Slimmons so I could take in the festival. Well, let

me tell you, I was there only five minutes

when...guess who I ran into? Yep, it was the lady

from Slimmons I'd not seen in such a long time. I

guess it was pure serendipity for the two of

us to run into each other.

I'm telling you, the minute she saw me, she began to

cry. I immediately walked over to give her a big

hug. I took her by the hand and asked is she'd join

me on one of the park benches so the two of us could

have a little talk.

Now I have to tell you, since the last time I saw her,

it was obvious she'd gained quite a bit of weight. It

had been well over a year and I'd say she'd gained at

least 50 pounds. It was also obvious the weight had

begun to affect her walking and even her breathing.

She was in her mid-50's and those extra pounds were no

good...for her good health!

She'd arrived at the festival about an hour before me

and had already done some walking around. But the bad

news is that I could see she was getting out of breath

from all of the walking she'd done. After we sat and

she was able to regain her composure, I made it clear

that I needed to have a little tough love

conversation with her.

I didn't ask why she'd disappeared

from Slimmons. I only talked about how much I missed

seeing her smiling face in class. Then I told her how

worried I was about her. I didn't ask "why" she'd

gained weight. But let's face it, she'd put on the

weight because she gave up control of her eating

habits and stopped working out. And like I said

earlier, I could see that the weight she'd gained had

begun taking a toll on her body. I can only imagine

what her cholesterol and blood pressure numbers were

since gaining so much weight.

But let me tell you what really stuck out in my mind.

I noticed that while we were talking, she never made

eye contact with me. She kept her head held low the

entire time and basically stared at the ground as I

talked to her. Well, I took her chin in my hands and

gently lifted her head so we could look directly at

each other. Then I told her....

"You're playing Russian Roulette with your life,

sweetie. The weight you've put on has already begun

to slow you down. And if you keep gaining weight,

this could end up being one of the last arts

festivals you're able to walk through...on your

own." I also told her that as she got older

and gained more weight, she would slowly begin losing

more and more or her mobility. I said to her "How

would you like to end up getting around on one of

those scooters or, God forbid, even bedridden?"

Sure, my words were a little strong but this lady

needed a strong dose of...tough love!

Okay, let me tell you, it's hard

having one of those tough love conversations, it

really is. It's painful for me to say all of the

things I said to this dear lady. And I'm sure my

words were just as painful for her to hear. I sat on

that bench talking with her for a good 15-20 minutes.

Oh, the words were coming out of me so fast, I hardly

took a breather. Then, after listening to all I had

to say, she looked right back into my eyes and said

what she needed to say...

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW...

Love,