The Pants

Yesterday was a good day. Okay, so it was super busy and I had a thousand things to do and only accomplished about 25. But still - because of The Pants, it was a good day. What pants, you ask? And why the capital letters? The Pants are a wonderful pair of Liz Claiborne slacks. They are tan with a raised embroider-like texture and rosy pink pinstripes. They are feminine and beautiful and the best part: they were FREE!! My mom goes to a thrift store that has wonderful clothes at great prices, so any time I visit we always make a stop. A couple of years ago I found The Pants and they had split open a tiny bit in the fly. Because they were damaged, the owner said, "Just take them!" My mom helped me mend them right up, and they were good as new. For those of you who don't know, I react to a good deal like a junkie who has just been given a big bag of crack. I'm on a high for the rest of the day. And no deal is better than free!!! There was only one problem... after wearing them once or twice, I gained 5 or 6 pounds (okay, maybe 10...)and my wonderful pants looked like sausage casing. Then I gained another 5 and I couldn't button them. *Sigh* The Pants sat on my shelf for over a year, and every once in a while I would try them on. Why? I don't know. Maybe just to torture myself. But then I started losing some weight...

I've been trying on the pants every Tuesday for the past 5 or 6 weeks. Tuesday is one of my office days, so I can dress a little nicer, and I was dying to wear those pants. Slowly but surely I went from being able to button them - without breathing, of course - to being able to sit down AND breathe in them, to getting back to the sausage look. I kept thinking, 'Well, maybe next week. Just a couple more pounds...' Folks, yesterday was the day. I put them on, zipped them up, and found - they fit!!! AND I even had a tiny little bit of extra room in the belly!!! They were comfortable!! They looked good!! The Pants could finally be worn!!!!!!!

I wore them all day yesterday without splitting a seam or needing to unbutton. I was on cloud nine. Here is the tangible proof that I have lost weight and gotten smaller. Ah, the joy. You see, The Pants symbolize more than just one more item in my closet from which to choose. They are the physical result of all my hard work. They are the reward for all those tofu patties and skipped mac 'n cheese. And they are hope. Hope for continued weight loss, days of feeling good, nights where I have energy, and times of solitude where I allow myself to feel things I don't usually feel: happiness, pride, self esteem, worthiness. The Pants are good. The future is even better. Doing it all through Christ who strengthens me - the best of all.