30 year Class Reunion

This gives me time to reflect on many things...mainly how much weight can a person loose in 2 weeks...say 50 pounds or so? Rats! I thought not! I've known about this for ummm, let's see...about 5 months or so and since that time I have managed to loose 5 pounds (that was of course after I gained them first). But at least they are lost again, each time I step on the scale I hope to never see them again. Perhaps I'm just being thoughtful, because if all of us who needed to loose weight in say the next 2 1/2- 3 weeks actually did so, the earth would spin off its orbit out of balance. So really I'm just trying to think of world peace, balance, harmony, etc.

While perusing through possible memorabilia for this reunion I came upon my year book and photos of me in a "leotard" in various gymnastics team photos, with some of my kids peering mysteriously(thankfully not all 5 of them at the same time as I don't think my psyche could have handled it), made various comments such as "Wow, Mom, no way was that you!" As I roll my eyeballs up into my head, (something strictly forbidden for my kids to do when I talk to them), and calmly think, "Yes, I actually used to do something that physically exerting B.C." [definintion of B.C.- 1. ante or before children, or giving birth to children 2. sloughing of your brain cells with each placenta delivered, along with actual physical changes nearly impossible to get back without major plastic surgery.] No, that wasn't Barbie doing the splits in that picture laminated with contact paper grandma has thumbtacked to her wall- that's me, yup I actually did the splits on the balance beam too, no less. Then I point to the picture of myself and the caption which I now recall from 30 years ago says someone else's name, so now they're starting to not really believe me except that the picture of the person above my name shows someone who is at least 1 1/2 feet taller than I, and a blonde (I have very dark brown hair, well most of it is, well actually on the top about 75% is, well, actually my hairdresser last time I went actually said only 20% really is dark brown [I think she is lying to get me in more frequently], but to the naked eye it looks 99% black all over). Not to mention the picture resembling my likeness 20 years ago, oops okay 30 years ago B.C. is not a pound over 95. Yes, as you may have guessed it, I have slightly puffed out a little. At least according to how my youngest son then 9 now 11 put it one day...

Mom: (While bending over putting cans away in the pantry) hears son say,

Son: "Mom, your butt is big."

Mom: "Excuse me, that is not a very nice thing to say."

Son: "Okay, sorry Mom, Maybe it's only a little bit big (indicating about 2 inches with his thumb & index finger...comparison-Mt. Everest is just a little hill)."

Let's see, Anything else I feel insecure about? As I look at people my age and what they have accomplished I recall something a physician my age (who incidentally also competed in gymnastics at the same time I did in junior college) said to me when I mentioned all she had done since I knew her in junior college, she became a nurse, went to medical school, became an obstetrician..., "Yeah, but look what you have done!" I'm thinking, well I became a nurse and then she referred to a picture of my 5 children posted on the requisite bulletin board of all the nurses kids, and proceeded to tell me how wonderful it was that I had the privilege of having 5 children, and to consider what an accomplishment that was. With her career in medicine she was able to fit in one child only. Okay, I got her point. I would never have traded any of my children for a career in medicine, umm, I cannot lie, I might have been tempted to maybe sell a few, or pay someone money to take a few of them, during choice stages of temper tantrumhood. But all in all I guess I am one proud mama.