I've got seven women on my mind...

I went to school in small rural school in Pietersburg in the northern part of South Africa. There is something magical about the first day of school that make you never forget it. Parents and teachers should keep that in mind. I remember the first days' hall opening like it was this morning. 

I was sitting there in the front row, watching dust particles drifting in a ray of light that shone through a small hole in the thick curtains. I nervously glanced to the back door to see if my parents were still there, and they were. A boy was crying next to me. I tried to console him, but had no impact. His mother came to him and took him outside. With that, I checked on my parents again. They were gone. 

A strange feeling came over me. Should I be sad as well or not, but I was too excited. I could sense a new beginning (Queue the star wars sound track). I smiled an enjoyed the moment. Our first grade teacher was an alien. A very nice one, but still an alien. Let me explain.

Our first grade photo was taken so long ago that it was in black and white, I kid you not:

Gr 1 - Ivypark Laerskool 1977

I met Miss Dickenson a month or so ago in our local supermarket. She remembered me immediately and we chatted as if we last spoke week ago, she hasn't aged a day. Alien. (I am the first guy on the left, by the way.)

I met some of my best friends on that first day. After all those years most of us are still in daily contact. It is interesting to see the paths their lives have taken. Our class has had real trauma, health scares, divorces but we are still the same people. We share our lives only as true friends can.

Five of these ladies are in this quest for a better lifestyle with me. We have a WhatsApp group, where we bare our weights to one another, bemoan our temptations and dream about heavenly bodies. They came up with the name of this blog as well. Thanks Riette!

The sixth lady on my mind is my sister. She has the same weight challenges as me, she is a very brave person, and she is also in this group. 

The last lady on my mind is my wife. She is one of those people that carries natural grace and beauty. Somehow she was happy to be seen with a guy classified as morbidly obese. One of the reasons I am doing this is to make her proud of me!

I will be hitting the gym this afternoon for a longer session. After that I will climb that scale and officially see how I did for this week. Feedback on Monday!

Enjoy the week-end, and take it easy...