Fat as Messenger

For the last year, I have been facing the “battle of the bulge” around my middle. For awhile, I accepted this next phase of life, sad I would no longer where the form-fitting clothes of 40 or 50. Alas, I was finally feeling—and looking—old.

Then I talked with a girlfriend, put myself on the South Beach diet, and lost 10 pounds. Once again svelte, I feel young and full of possibilities. From this vantage point, I am also able to decode the deeper message of my body and its bulge.

Last year was full of stress. I faced a vertical learning curve to boost my online skills. I replenished and emptied my bank account repeatedly given the nature of contract creative work. I moved three times. I had to be resourceful about income. And I drank beer.

I told myself the liquor, and related munching, helped. I deserved to escape my life for a time. In hindsight, I realize the result—a layer of fat around my middle—was a protective mechanism. It defended my third chakra of personal power from the direct hits to my esteem. Now, having found the language to articulate my unique place on the “story web” and the confidence to claim it, I no longer need that protection.

In an article in The Sydney Morning Herald as reported by The Week, Ross Gittins links obesity in developed countries to “the way we organize society.” That bulge around our middle, he notes, is telling us something is wrong. The same holds true for our personal lives.

Bulges and ill-health are the body’s way of telling us something is wrong. And every time I get such a signal, I know I must pay attention, decode the message and heed its warning sign, not only to identify course corrections for my own story, but also for that of the larger story.

Your Story: What body messages have you received lately? Can you decode them to transform your life and, indirectly, the story web?