Perspective; \pər-ˈspek-tiv\; noun : the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance.

This past weekend, I made a Home Depot run with the Rhodes family to get some stuff to repair the back fence; they also got some fertilizer and some mulch. While we were loading that stuff into the car, I looked to see how much the bags weighed. The fertilizer was a 30lb bag, all I could imagine as I heaved the bag up was that was 3lbs shy of where I am now. I was out of breath and my heart was racing after we were done loading and unloading that stuff... just a few months ago, my body was carrying that extra weight. So sad the constant strain that I put on my body every day with my extra weight.

Also this past weekend, I was preparing the brisket (~12lb) that I ended up taking over to Jodie's house on Saturday. Before I could even start cooking it, I had to cut all the excess fat off. When I took the beef out of the wrapper I saw that the under side of it had a thick layer of fat, it was nasty, so I cut and cut and cut until I couldn't cut anymore. I looked over at the grocery sack filled with this cut fat all I could think of is that is on my ass. That ~3lbs of fat takes up about 1/3 of a kroger bag. And how I've lost 9 times that amount--it is gross.

Last night, when Lan was over watching his dad and his papaw fix my fence, he would run by me and I would swoop him up and give him a razzy and then let him go again. We did this 3 or 4 times & each time he'd laugh louder and I would just hug him harder. The last time he was running towards me and I thought about how I have 'lost a Landon' in weight. I've lost the equivalent to that cute giggle, smelly piggies, bryan-resembling, bat-man loving kid. And that is incredible to me.

Yesterday I was called a liar, a bad person, someone who God will take care (and not in a nice way) and who is going straight to hell. And even though I know this guy is a little off center, you can't help but to take a mental inventory of your life and see if you really are this horrible person. I guess from his perspective I am. But I hope from the perspective of those I'm closest to that i'm not that person.

So, I guess life is all about perspective. I just hope I keep my perspective positive and don't let numbers on a scale or guilt after eating a cookie or crazy men that park their cars next to a fence during a hurricane get to me. Stay on task Nicole!