Vulnerability and The Bulge

I just returned from an 11-day Caribbean cruise.

I know. I hear you saying. STFU.

Hey, don’t hate on me. Everyone deserves a getaway. Even you.

So back to that hating on me bit, I was hating on myself prior to going on this vacation.

I’ve put on about 25 pounds this past year. Not sure why, but it sure didn’t make me want to get swimsuit naked on the ship. Then the first day at sea I realized, I wasn’t’ the only obese guy on the ship, and they were all taking it off and letting it all hang out.

Whew. That was a load lifted off. Guts of all shapes and sizes hanging out – some worth hanging out, others, not so much. But who am I to judge? My baker’s dozen hangs out over the waistline of my newly purchased Caribbean vacation board shorts, so I have no room to talk.

Observing all these guys with their bods on display got me wondering, “A guy will let his less than stellar gut show on a cruise ship packed with 2500 strangers, but he won’t let himself be vulnerable and let his real inner self show!” Why not?

WTF do you have to lose? I take my shirt off with pride, knowing that I was given this body, as out of shape as it is. It’s my body and if someone doesn’t like it, then don’t look at it!

Same thing is true when you quit giving a damn about what someone is going to think if you really go naked in who you are.

The battle of the bulge isn’t just about the size of your stomach, it’s about the size of the bulge of shame, fear, and bullshit that holds you back from cutting loose and being vulnerable so you can grow, even if it means taking the shirt off of your life.

Photo by Jerry Kiesewetter on Unsplash