Superficial Motivation

Back in my very first post I listed my reasons for doing this in the first place:

• I need to set a better example for my 15 year old daughter
• I’m getting married this year
• I nearly died from Covid in 2021

Those are valid…they are true…And they make me sound like a much better human than I am.

The fact is, there is another reason I’m doing this: I want to look better.

Believe it or not, there are reasons for a man to want to look better other than impressing the ladies. That’s all well and good for the single fellas, but that time has passed for me. These days, I only have one lady to impress and sadly, she is extremely loving and accepting of my current physical appearance. Okay…I admit, that’s a wonderful thing, BUT it isn’t very motivational. I could come home with a box of Ho-Ho’s and a 2 liter of Coke, plop down on the couch, consume it all while watching some Married With Children, and she wouldn’t think any less of me. She would still love me (and likely take me to the hospital when my diabetic coma kicked in).

So…since I am 100% satisfied with my partner in life, and she accepts me for who I am and how I look, who is it I’m trying to impress? Well, here’s the sad truth: When you look better, the world treats you better.

We are in a time focused on acceptance and anti-bodyshaming, but I will tell you exactly what I told my daughter: “If you were fat, I would love you exactly the same, but the world would love you less.” I didn’t just blurt that out when we were passing in the hall…there was some context (which I now feel the need to explain since some might think that was a bit harsh). We were talking about me and my physical condition. Specifically, how life was easier for me when I was under 200lbs. People treated me differently (and I, no doubt, acted differently). I don’t just mean people of the opposite sex, I mean virtually everyone I encountered.

Which brings me to my point: When YOU are happier with the way you look, YOU treat yourself better. You buy nicer clothes, you pay more attention to your grooming, you walk with better posture, you smile more…At least, this is what I’ve experienced both personally and from watching others who have transformed themselves.

So yes, I do have superficial reasons (looking better, wearing nicer clothes) for changing how I live, and I think they’re both healthy and valid. I look forward to sharing some pics when I reach a point where I actually feel proud of my appearance. (I’ll share some before that out of necessity, but I don’t enjoy it.)

Walking Weather

  \   /     Sunny
   .-.      +41(33) °F
― (   ) ―   → 17 mph
   `-’      9 mi
  /   \     0.0 in

I took the cover photo on my walk around Lake Elmo in Billings, Montana. There were some unexpected automotive issues to deal with today which put me home well after dark. I decided to pull over at the lake and get my walk in for the day as I may have been tempted to skip it otherwise.

Sorry about the lighting and shadows on that photo, but I was trying not to bother this goose too much. Since there were no other geese around, I assume it was separated from its flock. Good luck to you, goose. Sorry you’re not on the way to somewhere warm, honking and flying in a V formation. 😦

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