How many interesting people have you missed out on meeting?

Interesting....thanks for sharing!

I watched this yesterday and it really opened my eyes.

Very poignant! I, too, have always - at least since 2nd grade, been fat. I never dated until I lost the weight. Part of that was my whole thing about hiding and protecting myself (completely unaware of it of course!). But my dysfunctional strategy worked so well because staying fat made me invisible. Honestly - when in situations where meeting people or the possibility of romantic relationships was there, it never occurred to me that anyone might consider me. I intuitively knew that I was not on the menu. In junior high, when my boy-crazy best friend and I went to 6 Flags (or anywhere, really), I was just an audience as she flirted with every male she saw. She saw them and they saw her. But I was invisible to everyone until their encounter was over. When we went to church camp, the goal of the week was to have a boyfriend/girlfriend by the time we left. Eight summers of church camp - not one boyfriend. Not even a nibble.

Now, like I said, I have to take full responsibility and don't get to whine about how shallow people are and "poor, lonely, fat, me," because I made my choices. I spent waaaayyyy too many years on that pity pot. That does not, however, change the fact that because I did not fit the mold -(literally could not have fit into that mold...) I was a non-entity.

I have a dear friend who is partially paralyzed due to a stroke many, many years ago. Now that I am "visible" to the world, I am shocked when we go somewhere and she is the invisible one. People will acknowledge me and completely pretend they never saw her. I pray that I never become so accustomed to being "normal" that I treat others with such disregard.

Shelly