Weighty Observations

A couple of weekends ago, I came across 2 people at the polar opposite ends of the weight spectrum. On Saturday I was on the golf course when I noticed a man driving his golf cart to the first hole. He was quite large – obese in fact. What was interesting about this person was that he was the only one in the cart and he was driving from the passenger seat, which was odd. As he drove past my group and I caught a side view of him, I understood why he was alone and why was sitting in the passenger seat.  Quite frankly, he couldn’t fit behind the wheel and he was by far the biggest person I had ever seen on a golf course. Part of me wanted to laugh at the absurdity of that man playing golf and part of me wanted to look away at what that man looked like. At least he wasn’t seated next to me on an airplane.

As my group finished the 18th hole, he was teeing up on the 10th. We all stopped to watch him as he took as tee shot. He actually had a pretty good swing but I couldn’t figure out how he saw the ball and how he managed to bend down to put his ball on the tee.

On Sunday  I went to gym. As I climbed on to the stairmaster, I couldn’t help but notice the woman working out on the elliptical next to me. She was thin, most probably anorexic. At about 5’1″ or 2″ I’d put her below 90 pounds (if that). Her skin was ashen, her eyes gaunt and blood shot. She was singularly focused on her work-out, robotic, and emotionless.  Watching her was difficult, so I tried not to.

2 days, 2 very different weight issues but I was troubled by both while watching them and can still see them in my mind. I have friends who have battled both ends of the weight spectrum. I have friends with parents and children who have suffered from these issues. We all know people who have suffered and agonized (and even past away) over weight issues at both ends of the spectrum. It’s hard to watch and I’m sure it’s even harder to live with.

I’m not passing judgement or have something deep or profound about the subject of eating disorders. I’m just making observations. People eat or don’t eat for a variety or reasons.  I eat when I’m hungry or when something tastes good. I don’t eat when my tummy expands and my 34″ waistline pants get too tight because frankly, I can’t stand the thought of all new pants.  As I’m fond of saying, “I can’t afford a new wardrobe.” I wish other people who have weight issues could have it so easy.