It's Time to Let Trevor Be Trevor

In seven short days I will be an official graduate of Eastern Washington University, with a BA in Economics, graduating with with either Cum Laude, or Magna Cum Laude. I'm ready to set off into the real world, at least that's what my diploma says. I remeber feeling somewhat the same way when I graduated from high school. After high school I would be entering the "real world", or at least as "real" as college gets. But now I guess this is really it. This time it certainly feels more real, and probably is. No more going to classes, taking tests, doing homework, etc. Also, I guess it feels more real because I won't have any place to go back to, at least after this summer. I am really on my own, at least when my parents sell the house. Even though I have been living in this apartment for the past 9 months, I still considered that place home. But I guess not any more. This apartment is my home now....I guess that means that I should get my lisence changed to reflect that.

I was flipping through a magazine the other day and I realized that I don't look right. I don't have a six-pack, a chiseled chest and arms, and I actually have hair on my chest and stomach. Now I realize I'm not really fat, although certainly I am fatter than I should be, but I don't eat 35,000 calories a day. I can sit comfortably in movie theatre seating, fit through most doors, and get out of a chair easily. I also don't have to shop at a special Big and Tall store. But, according to this magazine at least, every part of my body should be chisled muscle. So, obviously something's wrong with me. Then I was watching the Simpsons, and in this episode, Homer was being forced by someone to eat right, exercise, and all of that bad stuff, then at one point he was able to escape these rules and he said, "It's time to let Homer be Homer". He was very unhappy doing those things that would allow him to be chisled, and it was only when he let "Homer be Homer" that he was happy, which meant eating unhealthy things and watching TV all day. And it got be thinking that maybe what is best is not to eat and do everything with getting that chisled look in mind, but simply to be happy, even if that means you're overweight and squishy in the middle. I am also struck by the amount of people, who I would not even consider overweight, who are unhappy with their size, their weight, or someother feature about their body. It is simply amazing how many people think that by simply losing those 5 or 10 pounds, or getting that botox, or think that just doing a few more sit-ups, or bench presses, or hoping into the new diet, will actually make them happy with their appearance. Perhaps we need to learn to be happy with the way we look right now, and only from there should even attempt to move forward. Or perhaps, even better, society accept people, and find everyone's own unique beauty, as a great man once said, simply said, wouldn't the world be a better place if peopled were judged, not by their pants size, but by the content of their character?

Well, I have to run, I just ate an apple, and I have to throw-it back up before my body can absorb any of those damn calories, but before I o, I will leave you with a quote, "What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease. - George Dennison Prentice"