Size matters.

No matter what you believe or have heard, it’s true…size does matter. Whether it’s in sports or every day life, if you are of size that is not of the norm, you are probably going to hear about it. It might be said directly to your face or behind your back… and it will it effect you; even if you are thick skinned.

When I was growing up I was larger than most of my friends; no check that, I was a lot larger than most of my friends. In other words, I was fat. When I was in 6^th grade, we had to be weighed by the nurse in front of the 6^th grade class. This is no big deal when you are a twig, or in great shape, but it’s a huge deal when you outweigh some of the teachers. It's not only demeaning, and embarrassing, it’s something that sticks with you for life. Even those who have lost a tremendous amount of weight will tell you how cruel people can be. Someone like Jared who stars in the “Subway” commercials will tell you he cannot forget the days when he was overweight. He would tell you the mirror is not your friend, the opposite sex is not interested in you, and worse yet, no matter what your parents say about how good you look, don’t believe them.

If you don’t believe me, ask my sister. We have spoken numerous times on this topic and I will tell you, she is the one who asked that I write about being overweight in today’s “Snap.Shot.” Since she is my favorite sister (even though she is my only one, she would likely be my favorite) I said I would be more than happy to write about how being overweight is painful. As kids we both were overweight and it still affects both of us in adult life.

Memories of being overweight just stick with you; I can still remember when my “so called” friends came up with a new name for me, “panzudo pescado.” Whereas this was a mistranslation on their part, what they were saying to me was---when I ran, I jiggled so much I looked like a fish out of water. (The translation above is actually “fish that is fat.”) Even more than 35 years later, these words still haunt me. What could be worse? They told other people what it meant and thus I was teased.

Being overweight is not fun; but either is being called the “tall guy, short guy, skinny guy, pimply guy, and dorky guy, etc.” You can substitute the word “girl” in any of these expressions and it may even be worse on their psyche …I don’t know, I have never been a girl but I sure live with a bunch of them. The bonus for our girls is…they are not too tall, to skinny, to short, and they have incredible complexions---but even with all this, the insecurities are still there.

The photo above was taken the last year the SuperSonics were in Seattle. (They moved to Oklahoma City the next year.) Kevin Durant, who was a rookie that year, listened to every word his coach P.J. Carlesimo had to say; he must have been saying the right thing because Durant has developed into one of the NBA’s best. In addition, he is one of the NBA’s most charitable players; it just goes to show, when you are a big man and very noticeable in a crowd, it isn’t what’s on the outside, it’s what’s in your heart.

Thanks for stopping by.