Sometimes life gives you a sign to cop on and stop being so shallow.
I’ve been looking forward to the upcoming AIMS Awards next month — that glorious weekend when musical societies from all across Ireland descend upon Killarney for a few days of craic, dancing, and a whole lot of glamour. The highlight, of course, is the Saturday night banquet, where awards like Best Actor, Best Singer, and Best Overall Show are handed out. It’s basically our version of the Tonys, minus Broadway and plus a lot more Guinness.
This year, I had my sights set on wearing a particular dress from my wardrobe. The only snag? It wouldn’t zip. Not even a little. So, I kicked off a campaign of eating less, moving more, and dramatically sighing every time I passed the fridge. And lo and behold, the zip now goes all the way to the top! Does the dress actually fit me yet? That’s debatable. I’ve got two more weeks to reach “fabulous.”
But today, perspective came knocking.
I was doing a volunteer drive for the Irish Cancer Society — something I do a couple of times a month — and today I was taking a lovely lady to and from her hospital appointment. We had a great chat on the way, and I tried to keep things light, knowing it’s a stressful time for her.
At one point, she opened her bag and offered me a bar of chocolate. Training tells us not to accept gifts or tokens — it’s a free service, after all. I started to decline and jokingly mentioned I was trying to fit into a dress. She paused and said, quietly, that she had spent a good part of her life worrying about her weight and denying herself little treats. Now, she said, she would give anything to put up a few pounds.
It hit me like a bucket of cold water. A reality check straight to the soul.
We waste so much energy stressing about the shallow stuff, when really, life is about enjoying the ride while we can.
So yes, I gratefully accepted the chocolate. And feck it — I’ve got another dress that’ll fit if the first one doesn’t.
No comments:
Post a Comment