Don't worry, my beliefs are firmly intact. My support system is resounding and loyal. I'm not talking about those kinds of core. I'm talking about my actual core--the midsection of my body that holds me up. My arms are pretty well toned, I have runner's legs and a nice neck, but my torso is floppy and flabby and unable to hold me up most of the time. My posture is terrible as a result. I fold in half like a gummy worm if I'm not propped up somehow. And worst of all is the belly. Ah, the bubble-like belly. I complain about it all the time to anyone who will listen, perhaps too much because last Friday my Mother-in-Law handed me (as a joke, I hope) a copy of "Women's Health" magazine with the cover story announcing that I, too, can have the flat belly I've always wanted. It's easy! they say. Yeah, right.
Well, I'll show her. I looked up the program they designed for me and my future six-pack. They claim that I will see results after only(!) thirty days, so that's how long I will give it. I will follow her program and get my perfectly flat belly and toned abs one 20-minute workout at a time. And if it doesn't work, then I guess I wasn't meant to lose the jiggle--or stand up straight.
I'll keep you posted.
3 comments:
You can have some of my core, I've got plenty.
Hi Jenn, I didn't know how to contact you without commenting on your blog which has nothing to do with your recent post...
I just wanted you to know that I responded to you on my blog. Thanks,
Vinette
vinettesopinion.blogspot.com
Comment from Erika:
"Wow. I found your blog through our common interest in Barack Obama. I didn't have a chance to read all of your correspondence with your friend, Anita, but I read this post just now and the tears are flowing. What an articulate and moving metaphor!You know, when I see Barack onstage with Michelle and their two daughters and I picture them in the White House, well, it's the most beautiful thing I can imagine for this country right now. When Barack is elected President, everything will change. Thank you for sharing your perspectives with the blogosphere."
Erika
Comment from Jenn:
"I found your blog, Vinette, through a friend of a friend and just took the time to read the last couple of posts--letters between you and your friend Anita. I just want to applaud you both for your honesty, your respectful dialogue, your vulnerability, and the courage to face the race issue head-on and in public. Too many times we dance around the topic, afraid of being "Un-PC" or offending anyone, so in effect no one shares from their true hearts on the issue and therefore no one gets anywhere on addressing the elephant in the room. Bottom line: I believe that if any person can begin to unite our country once and for all and heal the divisions of centuries of inequity, it's Barack Obama. It will be a long road but I think he has what it takes."
Jenn
Hi Jenn, Hi Erika,
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I've treated my blog as sort of a journal, since lots of people read, but few actually take the time to respond in writing. You can actually forget that there are real people out there reading what you say.
Jenn, I really believe that most people in their hearts are not bigots. It's just that we've been socialized to accept some injustices as norms. I think you're right - I too believe Barack Obama has the power to unite the country as never before. He has the unique power to tap into that place - that space that is the same for all of us. It's a space that houses such a universal need to be at peace with one another, to be validated, to be listened to and not just heard. He speaks the universal language of love, fairness, doing what is right simply because it is right. This message is so strong and so craved after, it can't help but resonate with everyone - black, white, yellow, red - peoples of every color, age, race and creed - even those across the seas, whose foreign votes of confidence will not even count - even they have an emotional stake in this movement.
This country has suffered for so long from the result of hatred, meanness, division, secrecy and exclusion. I think the reason people are flocking to get on board the Obama train is a) because so many people recognize that this has now become one of the most critical changes in the fabric of the American culture, but also b) because he's offering something that everyone wants: honesty, transparency, unity and integrity. Truthfully, it's not so much about the issues at all. I don't think people are flocking to him because his healthcare plan is so superior to Hillary's. I don't think some republicans are abandoning McCain because Obama knows so much more about foreign policies. What people, I believe, are seeing is a remarkable difference in character. Barack Obama represents, principle personified. When provoked, he doesn't bite. He doesn't seem to veer from his focus - which is to get this job done in the most decent way while not being discouraged by all those who say, it can't be done.
The other night, Hillary, while being interviewed by a member of the Christian Broadcast Network, said in the most pensive, subdued tone, that she could not wrap her mind around what this "Obama Phenomenon" was. She looked exhausted, stumped and dumbfounded by the whole idea that this life-long goal of hers could actually be stolen by someone who only casually thought about becoming the leader of the free world, yesterday! (or so it would seem). What she's actually coveting is Barack Obama's purity in motive. That's the "Obama Phenomenon". That's not something you can "get". She doesn't know how to tap into this wellspring of joy and hope and honesty, because, by nature she's cynical, crafty, negative, notoriously deceptive, manipulative and mean. And although Barack Obama has commanded a decent group of followers for who he is, he has also generated quite a following who choose him for who he is NOT!
Here's why I think the "Obama Phenomenon" works: The world is looking for a savior. Now, Barack Obama is by no means, a savior. There is only one of those, who is yet to come. But he is the best choice for anyone looking for a total breakaway from the political mold. This country is ready for change, ready for healing, ready for a positive outlook and a break from cynicism. America isn't interested in persons with sharp one-liners, or premeditated, witty remarks as made by Hillary Clinton and John McCain. The characters of those individuals are simply being illuminated with every snide, sarcastic remark. The reason the Obama Phenomenon works is because, without seeming sheepish or too yielding, he's able to deflect such negativism by re-directing conversations back to the issues at hand. That's presidential! When Hillary allows her estrogen or lack of estrogen to kick-in, Barack is able to treat her like a ranting-raving woman in the kitchen, rather than a sensible presidential opponent. How does he do that? - the way all of our sensible husbands do - by dropping his head, closing his eyes, turning his pursed lips to the side, while shaking his head and ignoring her! - a page learned from, Good Husband Responses 101, pg 1!!
What this candidate has done for America is, taken the fog away from this whole election process. When Michelle Obama said that this was the first time she had ever been proud to be American, I know exactly what she meant. For the first time, young people, old people, unlearned people, Black people, Hispanic people actually feel as though, not only can they participate in this election process, but that they are URGED to participate in this process, and that their opinion is both necessary and essential. I, personally, have NEVER felt this way before. When you sit in a room and listen to this man speak to you about politics "from the bottom up", rather than the top down - you actually believe he's talking about you and what matters to your family. For the first time, a presidential candidate is saying, look, you needn't be intimidated by old, white, rich men on Capital Hill who have law degrees, this is YOUR country too. You needn't apologize for not totally getting how the whole election process works, nor for not understanding what the Dow Jones Industrial Average is today, those are not prerequisites for choosing a presidential candidate. Having a pumping heart and a clear mind is all that is necessary to weigh in. Your conscience and your heart will be your guide. Heeeeeeyyy!! Who can't relate to that? You mean I don't have to have graduated from Harvard to be able to say, I think my insurance premiums are too high? You mean I don't have to be on the debate team with a 4.0 to be able to say, I wanna go to college, but you're making it impossible for me to afford it or …I may not understand all the ins and outs of this Iraq war, but it sure doesn't make any sense to me? Barack Obama is reaching out to people like those who have not ever been tapped into before! When that happens, you bond with such a person who treats your existence, however humble, with respect. You sit up and listen to what such a person has to say, because for the first time, you believe, you actually matter.
When a man is able to generate a chemical reaction that is felt by men, women, boys and girls of every age, from every background. (…and I don't mean an "Obama Girl" type reaction as referred to by Saturday Night Live); when by coming into his presence, you immediately recognize that you are in the company of greatness in a way that is so profound, it can immediately generate tears, chills, awe or a "tingling down the leg", as described by the heterosexual, white, male news anchor on CNN; when this phenomenon is not just felt by his followers, but also felt by his opponents - which is why Hillary's pensive stares seem to say, Who are you? What manner of man is this; when you see that see that, …that right there, that unexplainable feeling that, this ain't no ordinary election, that ain't no ordinary man… that right there…THAT IS the Obama Phenomenon! And it ain't goin' away!!
I'm Vinette D, and that's my opinion!
Tuesday, March 4th is being called "Critical Tuesday" or "Second Super Tuesday". Take the time to call somebody in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island or Vermont. Get on board, little children, there's room for many-a-more!!
http://my.barackobama.com/call
I mixed yoga into my training and it took care of my posture.
Post a Comment