A Whale or a Mermaid?

I read this on a great friends blog (private). It originated  from an email. Is it a true story or not, we will never know, but it hits home for a lot of woman. Society paints a picture of who we should be in order to feel accepted. I have PCOS, that's no secret, and with it comes lots of things about my body I don't like. I dislike infertility more than I dislike the weight I carry.It is still hard at times to sit with a group of woman talking about child birth and still feel like such an outsider. I am not completely unaffected by comments made or images betraying who I should be according to others. The frustrations that come from fighting what seems like an endless battle for me are many!! I look around me though and realize I have it better than so many. I may not be able to give birth, but I have been blessed with 8 beautiful children. I wouldn't exchange that for skinny any day. I have amazing friends! I have a fabulous husband and we have a great marriage, he is my best friend. Seem corny or to good to true? Our life is far from perfect, but it is perfect for us. So I just love knowing there are so many of us out there who feel the same way this lady does.
P. S. I have no problem with skinny tan people, just the skewed value people place on our outer appearance.

Recently, in a large city in Australia, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, “This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?”

A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They mate, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia.

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans.

They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don’t exist.

If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t mate because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they mate? Just look at them… where is IT?

Therefore, they don’t have kids either.

Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, “Good grief, look how smart I am!”