The Sixth Sense

Do others see what I see?

Sometimes I see things. Actually, it's almost all of the time. Everywhere I go. I don't know if it's a gift or a curse. In a way I feel like that kid in the movie "The Sixth Sense" with a slight twist. I see Fat People, they're everywhere. They don't even know that they're fat. I'm not making this up. When I walk into a store I see them. In the isles, in the checkout lines. Sometimes they even ride on motorized carts.  It used to be just a few middle age or older people but now I see them in all age groups.

This isn't funny!

I see that some of them notice me and look back. Some with envy, others with contempt. Most of them however don't see me at all. I'm transparent the them. People like me do not exist in their world. A world populated with overweight people, lazy-boy chairs and snacks. Plenty of salty, sugary, satisfying snacks. I know about the snacks because I see them in their grocery carts. These are the little rewards that they use to treat themselves with between meals. The special little treats that keep the kids quiet during television commercials.

Lord help me, I'm not trying to be facetious or sarcastic here. I am honestly overwhelmed by the amount and degree of obesity that I see around me. It's reached such epidemic proportions that I have come to realize that I'm the one who is out of place. I'm the odd one. Maybe that is why obesity makes me so uncomfortable. The fact that I am not obese has made me a second class citizen. Infomercials don't care that people like me exist. They can't produce a half hour long program to inform me on how to be more like, well, me! Those million dollar Super Bowl ads ignore me as well. McDonalds and Budweiser pretend that I don't exist. After all, they have done just fine without me.

I'm scared and I'm lonely. Sometimes I feel like I have created this web site just to see if I'm truly alone or if there are still others like myself. I don't want to be alone. I want to wake up into a world where people are healthy. Where people care enough about their health and appearance to actually do something about it. I want to walk into a store and not be the one who sticks out. I want to see role models. I want to see people that I can admire. I want to see healthy and vital children and parents who set worthy examples. I want to see people critiquing food labels as if they were reading some literary work of art. This is want I truly want, this is my goal. I'm not stupid however. I recognize just how formidable my task is. McDonalds speaks with billions of voices and I am only one. But if I can just reach one or two people, and they in turn reach one or two people, and so on. Well maybe, just maybe we can make a difference. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to give in. I'm going to fight because I believe that this is a worthy cause.

This is my message in a bottle cast upon the open sea.

Is anybody out there?

Kerry Dulin