Apparently, the scale that I was using initially was just ‘slightly’ out of calibration, so I purchased a new one. Heh…my 8-lb free weights weighed 6.4 pounds on the old scale, and 8.0 on the new one…and ME, 142.4 on the old scale, and 150.0 on the new one.
So here I am, back at ground zero. ARGH.
Great photo!
Thank you for your kind comments, Compassionist.
I am just trying to reach a medically healthy weight – something which I have not known since very early childhood!
Also, I do sort of want to look a certain way by this winter, when I will be meeting my husband’s entire family for the first time!
That must be a large number of people! You’re going to Pakistan I take it? How did you husband’s side of the family react to your relationship? And how did your side of the family react to your relationship? Inter-ethnic, transcultural, transreligious relationships can get shot at by both sides! I speak from first hand experience!
We are planning to visit Pakistan for about a week in December/January, so long as the ‘situation’ there is relatively stable!
DID my husband’s family have a reaction to our relationship, you ask??!! Well, considering the fact that he had been engaged to another woman before he came to the US (a significant fact that I was unaware of for over a year), when they learned about me, I was automatically cast as the morally bankrupt American female.
It has been over a decade since that mess has blown over. My husband’s immediate family, I think, accept me (although I am still probably considered a ‘bad influence’ – we are not having kids!), but many members of his extended family have chosen to shun us.
Having said all of that, however, I feel fortunate that we both agree that our marital relationship is of paramount importance; a fortress that cannot be deconstructed/intruded upon by others.
How about you – have your families settled down, now that you have been married for awhile, and have a son together?
As for my own family, I think that my folks envisioned me getting together with some blue-collar guy named Tim or Mike. ;) I think that my dad dreamt of getting a new beer-drinking buddy! Sorry, dad (posthumously), I am a wine drinker!
Actually, we are not transreligious; we are both agnostic (to different degrees)! :D
It has become increasingly difficult for me to think of us as transcultural, also – we are so similar in attitude, behavior, etcetera, that it throws me when he speaks Urdu!
What a fascinating story your lives are! I think your husband was born into a Muslim family. I don’t know if you were born into a religious family. Given that you’re now both agnostic shows a journey away from religions. (That’s if you were also born into one.) That makes you transreligious.
My wife was born into a fundamentalist protestant Christian creationist evangelical family. Although she is not as virulent as the rest of the family from her side. Though she is still a Christian and goes to church and so on.
I was born into a religious but non-fundamentalist Muslim family. I used to be a devout Muslim. But after much deliberation I left Islam in August 2002. After I left Islam, I missed religion and the structure it provides. So, under the influence of my wife (she wasn’t my wife at the time) I became a Christian in January 2003. However, the more I read the Bible and the more I learned about Christian history, the more I realised that the doctrine was false, unethical and hypocritical. An omnipotent deity can save everyone without requiring any sacrificial lamb. Salvation through the blood of Christ is a human construct based on prior human constructs of scapegoating ‘sins’.
Recently I became a strong agnostic compassionist. I joined the Humanist Society of Scotland this May because there are other secularists in the group. Birds of a feather flock together!
I don’t put pressure on my wife to leave Christianity. I accept her as she is. As far as I am concerned, there are as many paths through life as there are lives.
Although my parents have been very accepting of our relationship, there are some from my extended family who are iffy about it. We hope to live in Bangladesh once my wife gains some experience as a doctor here. I don’t know how realistic that is. My wife has been there twice and really liked it. We both want to help people.
My wife’s mum tried to split us up once I announced that I was leaving Christianity. Well, we are still together. Her side of the family consider me the wolf amongst the sheep! Which is sad because I don’t bite!
I have transcended religions and cultures. I just practice compassion and live a mindful life these days.
It’s good that you are both agnostic (allbeit to different degrees) because that would minimise tension in your relationship. Language barrier can be a huge problem – as my wife discovered during her trips to Bangladesh. She wants to learn Bengali but it is a difficult language to learn and she has many demands on her time. We are trying to teach our son both English and Bengali. He speaks mostly English words and a few Bengali words at this stage. I foresee there will be many clashes regarding religion and culture throughout our lives.
...are so kind. :)
I actually think that I look alright, but I do need to lose at least 7 pounds to fit inside the ‘normal weight’ category. :( As I am, I could definitely give Beyonce a run for her money!
PS – do you have postcards from WI yet?
I thought that I still had your address in my email, but I must have gotten ‘delete happy’ one of those days, and indiscriminantly wiped out stuff that I should have kept…mi dispiace. :( If you would be so kind as to re-send your snail mail to reya767@hotmail.com, I can mail you a couple cards for your impressive collection, which is nearing astronomical proportions! :)
Regarding weight, I honeslty believe that health supercedes weight in importance. When I weighed 210, I had a BP reading of 110/75! Since I suffer from periodic anxiety, however, I would like to reach a medically acceptable weight. ...
You look awesome, by the way, irrespective of the ‘weight factor.’ I only hope that I can have skin that healthy as I mature!
Compassionist cheered this 2 years ago
