laryngitis |

Okay, so the laryngitis has not let up. In fact it’s gotten worse. I included the video above to both approximate the only sound I am capable of making right about now and to achieve the decibel level I wish I could (but absolutely cannot) currently reach. My doctor and my Mom suggest that the best thing I can do to get better is to rest quietly. To which I say, “Oh poop!”

Sigh…

At first my hubby thought it was awesome that he got to talk so much more. Then he thought that my impromptu charades were kind of cute. Now, he’s feeling more like I am–deeply annoyed by the whole thing. There’s nothing like having to find scrap paper and a pen to put an end to small talk. And I’ve had the joy of having to listen in on conference calls and then text somebody to be my voice on the call. All I can say is that as frustrated as I am with being sick, I am deeply grateful for all the help my friends and family have offered me, and for how incredibly gracious people have been about allowing me to reschedule things.

Speaking of gracious and wonderful people, I have to thank the wonderful Anne Cuthbert who has allowed me to switch teleseminar times with her. (Anne is a super classy and extremely wonderful woman!) So now, God and vocal chords-willing, I will be speaking on Thursday, January 24 at 5 PM PST instead of my previously scheduled time. Please show Anne how much you appreciate her being so incredibly accommodating, and check out her seminar tomorrow at 5PM PST. You can register for both seminars HERE.

You also may want to lace up your sneakers for our special Fit Fatties Across America challenge for the week. We’re going to try to make it all the way to San Jose in time for A Fatty Affair this Saturday. We’re already in Colorado, but we have over 1,300 miles to go in order to hit our target. Don’t forget to enter your time or miles in THIS FORM on the Fit Fatties Forum. California here we come!

It is so true, that we seldom truly appreciate things until they are gone. I miss my ability to sing and squawk and make all kinds of noises out there in the world, and am looking forward to an opportunity to do that again soon. In the meantime, I guess I will have to make do with my written words and a video of a death metal squawking rooster.

Sigh…

Love,

The Fat Chick

Now with 36% more shout!

This weekend I have been battling with a little rhinovirus-related laryngitis. Which is a fancy way of saying the nasty gook from my latest head-cold is making it hard for me to talk. Now anybody who knows me at all, knows that I find shutting up for any length of time a major sacrifice. And my husband has found he practically needs to tape my mouth shut to get me to rest my voice so I can get better.

But the whole thing has made me think a lot about the way that people of size are silenced in our society. As fat people, we’re told that we don’t look healthy enough to run the country. We’re told we are not eligible to run a company because of the way we look. Many of us are not taken as seriously as we like because of the size of our pants. We are patronized. We are discriminated against. And whenever we say anything about it. When we complain about discrimination or unfairness, we’re patted on the head and told to just be quiet.

And many of us have been so hurt and so humiliated for so long, we just quietly sit and take it. We accept second-class citizenship, we sit in silence and we relinquish our power just like that. We stand idly by as fat friends and family members are treated as less than.

Why do we do this? Why do we let others silence our voices? Sometimes I imagine it is because we get tired. Fighting is hard and painful (even if you DON’T read the comments section). But I think the main reason so many of us become silent, is because we secretly or even openly believe the lies that other people tell us about ourselves. We believe we are less capable. We believe we have less to offer. We believe that we don’t have the physical stamina necessary to run the company or run the world.

We will all face times of silence. Whether it is because it is too dangerous to speak, or we are simply to tired to lift our voices, silence will happen. And sometimes silence is golden. The question is, how can we use these times of silence to come back even stronger?

I think we can take that time to remember that we are people of worth. We can recall that each of us has something to say and deserves a space in which to say it. We can also use the quiet times to help other people find their own voices. Then we can find even greater strength in shouting and singing together. And we can take the time to really listen to one another. We can bend down and hear the quiet voices that don’t often take center stage. And we can listen carefully to the loudest voices and hear the true meaning that often lurks between the spoken words.

Yes, from time to time each of us is silent. But we can choose to use those quiet times to gird our loins and warm up our songs so we can roar out into the world once again.

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. Tune in to hear my voice TOMORROW on an amazing teleseminar. Click HERE for more info.

And I wanted to make a shout out to all my Fit Fatties Across America out there! This week Saturday is A Fatty Affair in San Jose. Last week we reached Colorado. Help us add another 1300 miles this week to get to San Jose by Saturday! Don’t forget to enter all your minutes/or miles of exercise and help us hit our goal!