Things Aren't Always What They Seem to Be

Sometimes things are not the way they seem to be. In the fall of the year that I enrolled in the Extraordinary Women course, I needed to lose some weight. I looked around my class and chose weak-willed Becky to accompany me in my short term goal. Why? Because I knew I could win. She liked the idea of my challenge and liked the prize even better. Our goal was 20 lbs by Christmas and the loser had to take the winner out for a holiday dinner at a nice restaurant, the kind where you dine with cloth tablecloths. During our months of weight loss, the whole class became involved in cheering us on.

One evening, I decided to do some grocery shopping before class. Even after shopping, it was too early to go to class so I decided to stop at the grocery store deli/bakery and get a bite to eat for my supper. There was only one elderly gentleman there, also eating. The deli clerk asked me what I would like to drink with my one piece of chicken breast. I hesitated. Just water, I replied. She gave me a cup and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to use the water spigot. That nice man was watching me and got up to help me. As I ate my supper, I reviewed my notes for class and noticed that the woman from the bakery walked over to the man and gave him a little paper plate of cookies. How cute, I thought. They must be old friends. As the gentleman finished his meal and got up to leave,he passed by my table placing the plate of cookies in front of me. “She gave me three, and I ate one and want to give the rest to you.” He was gone so fast that I could not explain about the weight challenge and how I wanted to beat Becky. Then I wondered what he must have thought as he watched me that evening. Maybe he thought I was broke because I ate such a measly little supper. Maybe he was trying to keep me from starving.

Becky hired a coach and lost 25 pounds to my eight just two weeks before Christmas. The whole class said nice things to us like “you are both winners” even though Becky beat the pants off me. We did choose a nice restaurant and, to our surprise, the whole class joined us. I’ll never forget the coupon that Tina, seated across from me, slipped into my purse. It was one of those “buy a dinner and get another one free” deals that she received in the mail to promote this new classy eating place in town. The girl next to Tina also got one in the mail and the two of them shared that coupon. It gets better. At that night’s dinner party, Becky shared with us not only her weight loss victory but the healing that took place as a result. Changing her diet caused her Fibromyalgia to go into remission. And she hadn’t had a headache for months! We all clapped.

Things aren’t always what they seem to be. Oh, by the way, I ate the plate of cookies that man left at my table.