This blasted heat, while intensely uncomfortable, also serves as a harbringer of that most unpleasant "s" season to come. Lest you misunderstand, the "s" season I'm referring to is made possible by the other "s" season which actually appears on our calendars. Yes, I'm talking about the dreaded swimsuit season. Ack! That name alone conjurs up horrifying images and feelings from deep within.
This was to be the summer spent on Costa Rican beaches. Since I've been granted a temporary repreive--a stay of execution, it feels like at times--it behooves me to seek to use this coming year wisely so that next year, God willing, I can frolick on those beautiful beaches without shame or self-reproach. When to begin? Some would say "there's no time like the present!", and I would agree but for the unpleasant facts of summer life and the perils that they bring. Namely, these include travel, vacation, and camp life.
Traveling, unless done in short doses, always has an adverse effect on my appearance. My ankles cease to be ankles and take on a most disturbing "cankle"-like quality. In order to appease a "let's just get there" mentality, there is a significant amount of fast food eaten. And as a rule, fast food equals unhealthy food. Vacation is little better. Although eating out will be a rarity (typically only reserved for take out pizza from "The Tavern"), how can I resist the siren song of Anderson Erickson chocolate milk? And while better than drinking a soda (and with some calcium to boot!), I'm sure too much of it would be frowned on by dieticians. The biggest detriment to any weight-loss progress, perhaps comes in the form of camp life. During the course of our two weeks at camp, we partake of three very genergous, very tasty, squares a day, where one has the opportunity to enjoy fresh fried chicken every day! But for me, worse of all is the close proximity to all the chocolate ice cream I can possibly afford to eat (chocoalte soft serve is considered something of a unicorn here in Mississippi). Ahh, the bliss! Don't get me wrong--I love camp! There is much to feed the body and the soul there. We have come home every year full both in body and in spirit. And, too, not having a golf cart to navigate the hills on camp allows some exercise.
Swimsuits are an evil to a girl like me, things that look as appealing on us as do mu-mus. I actually did manage to find one that is not completely hideous looking even if it doesn't magically make me appear ten pounds thinner (as some of the adds for certain bathing suits boast). If I were a braver soul, I would immediately put on my suit, snap a picture, and then post it on this blog as a "before", promising to post another picture next summer (on a beach in Costa Rica, perhaps), as the "after". Hmm. Dare I?
