Simply Beautiful

This is my best friend. She is amazing, beautiful, funny and smart. She is also the ultimate in the friend department. She can read between the lines of my letters, read between the lines in our conversations, knows when to pick me up, dust me off and send me on my way, and best of all, she know when its time to kick my butt.

When I look at her I see the most beautiful woman in the world. I joke about my husband being ‘doughboy’ and that’s probably not fair. Strange, I don’t joke about her weight because I don’t notice her size until someone, usually her, points it out (she says we look like an I and an O together).

She has taken a new adventure path this year. I can’t remember when she actually started this journey – maybe 5 years ago. To make a long story short, she has lost 45 pounds since January and lost 18 of those since her surgery 6 weeks ago.

I had mixed feelings about the surgery. Selfish and not selfish reasons. I went to the seminars with her, and the factoids scared me. Its one of those things that you have to look at the pros and the cons, and pick the lesser of the two evils. Deal with the side-effects so that she can have a better quality of life. I am terrified of losing her.

I had to nut-up and realize that now she has a chance to feel better and be healthier. Sleep apnea, high blood pressure, bad knees – just to name a few, are caused by her weight. I didn’t want her to hurt anymore. Extra points for me: she will live longer!

I hate to say that during the surgery time I was in a total funk. I really wasn’t there for her. Thank goodness her family and other friends stepped up to the plate. I am lacking in the friend of the year department. True to my nature, I dropped the ball at the end of the game. I went off into my own little world, sat on my pity potty about my life, dying marriage, etc instead of doing the mentally healthy thing by coping and being there for my friend, being in the present moment and seeing the beauty, love and joy around me. I figure she must love me because she has once again forgiven me for dropping the ball.

The picture shown was taken yesterday after her 6 weeks checkup. She finally got to meet baby Joseph. I wonder if Joseph knows just how lucky he is to have Susie in his life, too? If not, he will learn it quickly.