"Beautiful people are the bane of my existence." --Kathy Griffin

Oh Kathy, what a sad life you must lead. Ms. Griffin announced this statement to the ladies of "the View" while I was watching the show this morning. I can't help but wonder what an inch-deep life characterized by that statement would be like to experience on a daily basis. Indeed, there have been times in my life where I longed to be a bit tanner, a bit skinnier, a bit taller...but to call any of that "the bane of my existence" would be nothing short of a lie. In truth outward beauty is something that I've devoted a portion of my thoughts to this summer. I made the decision earlier on this summer to become the healthiest physically that I could possibly be, sort of like as a science experiment. But it has turned into something I've enjoyed quite a lot. Exhibiting the discipline to ingest only healthy(ish) food and to run regularly have been nice additions to my life. The sense of accomplishment that comes along with running further than I ever have before is quite fun. I wouldn't trade it in for a slush at Sonic or a TCBY parfait. So, I guess this whole "outward beauty" thing has been sort of tripping me out lately. See, I sort of got skinnier this summer. Well ok, I didn't "sort of" I just did. I hate the phrase "lost weight" so I'm refraining from using that here. But it's what happenned to me. Anyway, it's a weird thing to be on either side of the skinny train and then to switch to the other side. I mean granted you have a little extra boost of confidence as you're walking through the mall, but you also get 200% more catcalls (for me that's two) than you did before...which really doesn't seem to be worth the hassle. Anyway, for me I'm glad I got healthier. I have a little more energy. I have more endorphins truckin through my system. And I have a disciplined life. And though I definitely wouldn't characterize myself as a BP, they aren't the bane of my existence either. Life is about so much more than sizes and sweat or dessert and pudge. So though I'm an advocate of doing all things in life with excellence, becoming a BP is not on my to-do list, but neither is becoming a couch potato.