this is the time when it all matters. the next two weeks count for almost everything. and even though it can be redone in 6 months, the obvious goal is to succeed the first time around. mp has been busy as hell. there just isn't enough time in the day, and every morning seems like a reminder that time is more valuable than anything tangible.
yesterday, on the way to a study group, mp found herself with a couple of other students, looking at two broken elevators. she barely hesitated before heading to the stairwell and climbing the five flights up. there was no stopping for breath, and she didn't slow down. when she hit the 6th floor, she really wasn't even out of breath.
two years ago-- hell, six months ago-- she probably wouldn't have even tried it.
mp sat down in the conference room and began taking notes... and in the back of her mind, she realized that although she had never taken a p.e. class on campus, one of the biggest lessons she would be taking away from her graduate experiences was that of physical education. people do look at the very overweight as being slow, sloppy, dumb, and worthless. most don't see merely chubby people that way, but the very obese are truly discriminated against. with every extra pound, we are forced farther and farther from the center of life's discourse until we teeter on the edge and, in some cases, fall off into a land of invisibility.
mp realized that she was reentering the conversation. little by little, she has been finding her voice again. luckily, she isn't too out of breath to use it.
