Would you be a Mermaid or Whale?

This poem with the photo attached has been going around Facebook today and it's inspiring so I thought I would share with you so more people can read.

Reading through the comments though, it's a little bit controversial because nobody ever fails to bring up the fact that "obesity is bad". Yes I know that, you know that...the whole WORLD knows that. There is an epidemic happening and it's the fat syndrome. I'm not condoning that being fat is the best thing in the world because yes there are health issues to consider, but what I am supporting is loving yourself. I can relate to being the "fat" girl all throughout elementary, middle and high school. I was the one guys would talk to briefly but would never look at as girlfriend material and the one the popular girls gave the "pity" look to (oh yes, I saw those looks girls, I'm hard of hearing, not blind). I struggled (and still do now) with self-image and self-esteem issues and that's why this poem really got to me. It's about loving who you are. It's about accepting yourself the way you were made and accepting that it's okay to be you.

I am still a bigger girl and while I try and eat healthy it doesn't always happen. I am also somewhat active Most people judge before they know the circumstances and that creates friction. The girls (and guys!) end up feeling like outcasts because they aren't "normal", society pokes fun at them instead of helping them find a solution, and in the end the situation usually goes from bad to worse in a matter of minutes.

Embrace yourself and embrace who you are and you'll be able to achieve anything you want. If that means losing 50 lbs or giving yourself a makeover, so be it. Do what YOU feel is right, now what society makes it to be.

]

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness.

They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia.

They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish?

They would have no sex life and could not bear children.

Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad.

And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies.

We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated.

Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

(The girl on the picture is French model Tara Lynn)