Fat to Thin: My Confession

When I began this blog almost a year ago it was important to me to express my values to my friends, my readers.  Honesty has always been at the top of my core values.  It is no secret that before I was pregnant with Lilly I lost 110 pounds - 90 of it in 9 months alone with the help of Shannon Pascale and the Jenny Craig System.  After I delivered Lilly I returned to Jenny and Shannon and the rest you know as I have shared every happy pound lost and every god awful pound regained. 

I posed a question a few months ago about whether I had given up on myself or not.  I bucked up and got back on the weight loss train.  I have lost a little, but not enough to maintain motivation and perseverance.  So, I have taken the last few months to think about what it is I want for myself.  And I came to the following conclusion:

I am who I am and who I am is tired of being judged. Who I am is tired of being looked at as the one with the pretty face - this face is getting old. I am the one who wants to run without a herd of elephants on her ass. I am the one who wants to be struggle free putting on socks.  I am the one who wants to be the Banana Republic and J. Crew chick and not the Lane Bryant lady.  I am the one who wants to run around all day with her kids without getting tired.  I am the one who wants to live.  I am the one who wants to live.  I AM THE ONE WHO WANTS TO LIVE.

I have the power to make a choice and the resilience to live with my choices.  So, in the spirit of honesty I will share with you that I am in the pre-operative phase of getting a gastric bypass.  I was going to share this with you all after I had surgery, but then decided it was really shitty and dishonest of me to withhold this choice from you.  Plus, there are a lot of funny things one encounters while on the road to surgery....and, I can't wait to share all of it with you.
 

A Way of Remembering My Dad 15 Years Later.....

People often ask me how I manage all of my responsibilities.  The answer: motivation.  Recently, I have found that I need to spark a little motivation in my colleagues.  Below is part of an address I will be recording and sending out to staff as a means to garner an understanding for, and a commitment to, community service.  There are parts where the "I" will be transformed into the "We" but this is where I began from - my heart.   

My father, Fred, was a beast of a man.  He was a loud and vivacious Sicilian who pushed people out of their comfort zones because he always saw they could do more and be more.   Those that had lost their way and sought solace in his advice learned quickly that giving up was never an option.  My father had the  gift of insightfulness that when coupled with his wisdom would guide a soul in an infinite number of directions.  Many found it impossible to not be inspired by him as he taught them the power a having a dream.                   

 

My father dedicated his adult life to giving back to his community.  He knew that there was magic in selfless acts.  He led by example and inspired others of all ages, makes, and models to do the same.  He knew that the life you lead when you believe no one is watching is a powerful way of measuring the human spirit.

 

My father also recognized that our characters as people are also defined by what we do when no one else is watching.  My father’s character was one of integrity, strength, and even humiliation.  In all of the work he did for different organizations, and ultimately, his family, he did so because he recognized the need to create a culture that sustains positive human learning and growing.  

 

My vision for Wilson is built from the foundation that my father created for me from which to dream upon.  I vision our Wilson family working collaboratively to continuously examine our school’s culture so that it may be a school that is universally hospitable to student learning and achievement in and outside of the classroom.  I truly believe in making not only our students more knowledge and caring, but also ourselves.  This is why I strive for excellence.

 

My father may be gone, but he and his lessons are not forgotten.  He left a lasting legacy.  He left his dream.