Biting my Tongue...and Eating a Sandwich

So my interview didn't go so well the other day, and not because I was horribly spastic. (Well, that's not entirely true. I may have been a little spastic, but I kept most of it contained.)

The reason it didn't go so well was because I told the interviewer that I would not be willing to lose any weight to prove my candidacy. I'm not sure how many of you follow my Facebook rants, but if you do, you already heard that part.

But there's more...

I had wondered if my interviewer was confused or had misspoken, or even if I had just over-reacted to the situation. Later that afternoon, I got my answer. Her follow up email stated that she was hanging onto my application, and that if I would be willing to lose an additional 5 lbs they would be happy to reconsider me for hire.

I thought long and hard about how to address her email. The non-confrontational part of me wanted to ignore it completely and just move on. But after a night of tossing and turning, I decided to respond to her email. This is what I wrote:

Thank you so much for the follow-up and for holding my application.

My BMI is currently sitting at 20, and while losing 5 pounds would not put me outside of the healthy BMI range, I do not wish to lose any weight at this time. I understand that hiring members who have shown success through the program can be a source of motivation for those who witness it. But I feel that my coming into a meeting in an attempt to lose additional weight will send the message that a BMI of 20 is not "good enough" and is something that needs to be changed. That is not the kind of impression I would want to leave with those ladies. And it is certainly not the image I would want to stand behind as a counselor. I realize that this stance may not make me an ideal candidate for the position.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and best of luck on your fitness journey.

A crazy woman driver though I may be, I am not totally crazy. I know that this woman probably opened up my email and promptly deleted it along with my application from her file. I will never cross her mind again.
But I will not soon forget this silly email or the lesson it taught me about standing up for myself. And I am proud of myself--maybe too proud. I've been walking around the house humming that old Aaron Tippin song "you've got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything." (An email and humming...Man! Don't mess with this crazy lady!!)

There have been times in my life that I've had to jump through hoops to get what I want. But there's a difference between jumping through hoops and compromising what you feel in your gut is right.

And right now my gut says that it needs a sandwich. With mayo. Because I am keeping these 5 lbs.

And while I'm making it, I think I'll hum along some more with Mr. Tippin.