kirstie alley
fell off the wagon
in front of the whole world.
oprah winfrey
fell off the wagon
last year,
5 years ago
and a dozen times
before that.
sound familiar?

celebrities
are people too.
no different
than me
no different
than you.
they may have chefs;
they may have trainers;
they may have resources
that we can only dream of.
but in the end,
where the buck stops;
is what's eating them
and not what they eat
that does them in
everytime!
just like you,
just like me.

kirstie,
she wants to be
bikini-ready.
bikin-ready??!!
why, why, why
is that important?
that goal;
that reason
for the journey,
is a failure in waiting.
at least,
that's how i see it!

what's wrong with
one-piece ready?
what's wrong with
eating healthy,
being healthier
feeling better
and looking great
maybe not
in a bikini,
but just about
everything else?
she can do that
but not
with a focus
on such a lofty goal.

you can't fail
if you accept
whatever improvements
you make
in your diet
and your lifestyle
as success.
you can't fall back
to old habits
if the new ones
become your routine
and not a means
to an end.

my bikini
is a long walk
without feeling winded.
my bikini
is a doctor
with a smile on her face
when she sees
the progress i make.
my bikini is
no longer needing a plus size.
my bikini
is tucked away in a closet,
only it's a size 12
and made out of denim
with a designer label
on the band.

i know,
my goals
are not kirstie's goals
or oprah's dreams
or any of yours.
but i think
my goals are attainable,
reasonable
and fair enough
to keep me focused on the journey
and not just on the prize.


so i hope
my goals
have a
little dose of reality
for someone
who's about to give-up
because just maybe
their goal,
that bikini
is not the success
they really need.

i'll be
bikini-ready
someday,
just not in a two-piece!