Suite1
End of year ramblings...
Dec 28, 2011
It's official, I'm scheduled for 3/2/12 for an LBL with TT and BA. Actually, I've had the date for a few weeks. I still go back & forth a lot. I've already upped the workouts with my trainer to 3x a week, plus he's working me harder each occasion and I'm seeing the results. It appears as if the skin around my abdomen is tightening some more - or maybe it's an illusion. Then I bend over while shaving my legs or something and see my thighs and realize, I still really want to have the surgery done. I haven't worn shorts in years and really wouldn't mind being able to wear them again.The last few days I've been looking a lot at the photos from the shoot I did back in early November. I can't believe that's me. Then again, when I look at photos before surgery, I can't believe THAT was me either. I was pleased on Christmas Eve when my sister was looking at some before pictures and said she can barely remember me looking like that, It means this has become the new normal for many and I've been looking forward to that. Still, when I look at the photos, it dawned on me that in my mind, I've pretty much always thought I looked about like this. I used to say my mental image has always been about a size 12, even when I was a 22/24 and now that I'm a 4/6. I just feel like my head and reality are closer to the same than ever before.
I wonder how much of it comes with age in general. I mean, I'm pushing 51 and I finally feel for the most part like I've got my act together. I'm happy, I just love my life, I feel like I'm in a good place in my quest to self actualization, I'm not as wrapped up in what people think about me. I'm in a wonderful position in my community to be able to say or do what I want and not worry too much about it. My heart is always in the right place, but it's not unusual for my foot to end up in my mouth, often without my knowledge of it. But I'm in a position to make a difference and to have an impact and if people don't like my political leanings, or that I talk about the elephant in the conference room, so what? They can't fire me, my business model doesn't really involve clients so they can't vote with their wallets, I'm doing good things in the community so they can't really afford to tick me off for fear I'll take my efforts elsewhere. We don't make political contributions so no one is beholden to me financially or politically. People realize I do what I do because I'm passionate about Dayton in general and South Park in particular and I do things for the right reasons.
Still, I feel like I could be doing more. My projects in South Park are just not moving along at the speed I'd prefer. Maybe it's time to go out on a limb and find other contractors to get the jobs done. I've been thinking a lot about social media marketing and how I could use it to spread the word more about Full Circle, South Park, the City of Dayton in general. I'd love to win the lottery and create TG's Stimulus Fund - all of the money would go into an account at the Dayton Foundation. Some would be set aside for long term and the amount generated in interest would be issued in grants each year. The rest would be for immediate impact projects like redoing all the curbs, sidewalks, streets and lighting in South Park, burying the utility lines, reforesting the tree lawns, adding fiber optic, replacing the gas & sewer lines. I'd create a job training program designed to hire & teach unemployed and ex offenders in the neighborhood how to remove lead paint, make basic carpentry repairs like replacing rotted sills or trim or fascia boards and then repainting every property in South Park. I'd hire a grounds crew which would consist of 2 experienced landscapers or Master Gardeners and they would hire seasonal workers from the neighborhood to pick up trash, weed and maintain all the green space (18 acres worth of parks in the neighborhood), pass out newsletters & fliers, maintain the alleys and vacant lots.
As far as social media marketing, there are about a half dozen dynamos in the community that I would hire at twice what they are earning now and put them in charge of putting Dayton Ohio and various projects within the community on the map. All they would do is help non profits and small start up companies and community groups get their stories out to the world and put Dayton OH back on the map as a hotbed of innovation. I'd create an entrepreneurial seed fund and some of the money would be a grant to help them with architectural fees, permits, and other unexpected start up expenses. And I would fund 1 or 2 full time positions within the City in Planning and in Building Inspections to serve as small business liaisons. Their responsibility would be to act as a facilitator to help small businesses understand and and comply with zoning & building codes, as well as to walk the paperwork through the process within the City departments to expedite the flow. It's actually a position my Mom held at the City in the 1990s.
So what this has to do with plastic surgery and weight loss or anything else, I'm not sure. I guess it's part of the transformation process. I have a lot of time to think and dream. But what I should be doing is tackling my office or cleaning out the closet in my bathroom. I've managed to round up 10 bags of clothing and linens to donate, but 2 of the 3 charities I went to earlier this week were closed for the holidays. Doh! And I've got more, I'm in a real mood to declutter and organize and make room for new energy and good things in my life. I think of the plastic surgery as the final step in my physical transformation (for now anyway)...so it's time to chart a new path for the future. I'll let you know what I come up with!
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About Me
Dayton, OH
Location
21.6
BMI
Surgery
09/14/2010
Surgery Date
Jul 02, 2010
Member Since
Before & After
rollover to see after photo
280lbs
150lbs
