I went back to my hometown to help a friend and take my mother to visit her best friend - who she hasn't seen in months.

We were getting ready to leave when we stored by a convenience store to grab a local paper before returning home.

[WARNING: My use of pronouns and my description of these events may trigger some of you. I don't know the the rules about this and I am just writing this as it occurred to me and as it makes sense to most of the people that I know. None of this is meant to be done incorrectly, although it most certainly will be. And, if I know the internet, it will certainly be perceived as rude or worse by some. Do me a favor and know that I mean well, even if I screw this up.]

I saw a familiar face behind the counter. I don't know his (he/his/him because he was obviously born, and still is, physically male) given name but I had seen him wearing make-up and with his nails painted and wearing a name tag that said "Charlotte" from time to time while we lived there. Other times, he wore no makeup or nail polish and wore no name tag.

This is a small southern town rife with hypocrites that call themselves "Christian", so that took some real courage to do.

Other times he didn't have on make-up or nail polish or a name tag. But he was always professional and kind.

I used to go there almost every morning to get my mom a chicken biscuit and I went out of my way to be kind to him because I could see the stress on his face, day after day (

Today, when I went in for the papers, I decided to get a Coke and saw one with "Charlotte" on it. I got it and one for me.

When I checked out, he was not wearing his makeup or nail polish. He was not wearing his Charlotte name tag. But he was looking a bit stressed.

After he ring up my papers and Cokes, I handed him the one that said Charlotten and, for the first time, I saw a face without stress. It was if it just melted away.

He smiled and said thank you. I smiled and left.

It was just a Coke. But I saw a Coke melt away fear today - if only for a moment.

If you see this, hang in there Charlotte. It's going to be ok.

My bedroom is a mess and a fire hazard so I’ve decided to redo my entire bedroom. I’m getting a bigger bed and moving everything to different spots it’ll be long and tiring but I believe it’s a necessity in my journey to adulthood.

I’ve started going to the gym regularly and just lost my first 20lbs. Yesterday, I decided to go shopping for some active wear as a little reward for myself after officially leaving the Obese BMI category. Up until then, I’d just been wearing whatever sweatpants and t-shirt that I could fit into.

I went to several stores and quickly found myself feeling discouraged by the abysmal selection of active wear for larger women. I’m not even considered “plus size”! It seemed like every store I went to had everything you could want in XS-M, but as soon as you cross the threshold into Large, there was almost nothing, and what they did have was hideous or made of a material that no one would wear. And don’t even get me started on finding a Sports Bra as a 40 DD.

Onto the highlight of this story. I was in TJ Maxx and I seemed to keep crossing paths with the same woman in the active wear section. She was lovely and clearly no stranger to the gym. I normally would never start up a conversation with a stranger but I was feeling so discouraged that I said something to the tune of, “I’m having no luck finding anything in my size that is even somewhat flattering. It’s hard enough working up the confidence to go to the gym when you’re bigger than a lot of people. After this shopping experience, I’m starting to feel like no one actually wants us to work out.”

I felt ridiculous as soon as I said it. I know this lady probably just wanted to shop in peace and I just word-vomited on her in a TJ Maxx. But this awesome woman immediately called over her friend who was shopping with her. They asked me what size I needed, what kind of workouts I did at the gym, and what colors/styles/materials I liked, and then they both started scouring the aisles. They managed to find a couple great pieces of clothing in my size that had been put in the wrong sections. They were both so kind and encouraging even though I was a stranger to them.

I left the experience with a new outfit, and a brighter outlook, especially when it comes to other people. It can be easy to feel like you’re alone when you’re struggling, or like others probably don’t care about problems that they can’t directly relate to, especially when it comes to physical health and fitness. Sure, there are always going to be SOME people who look at an overweight person and pass judgement without a second thought. You may feel the stares or even hear the occasional nasty comment, but don’t let those moments trick you into thinking that the world is against you.

In the fitness community in particular, people WANT to help each other. Everyone went through their own journey to get to where they are. That “scary looking” guy who could probably rip a tree out of the ground may have been morbidly obese at some point. The woman who looks like she was born to do yoga may not have been able to even been able to touch her own toes a year ago.

Anyway, I’m sorry for rambling. I just wanted to share and hopefully bring a smile to someone else. I have to include an attachment with this post, so here is my weight loss progress since November.

After 5 years of driving lessons on and off, I finally passed my driving test last month and bought a car yesterday 😁

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/34284216/grammy-winner-admits-flop-era-unnoticed-nyc/

Lil Nas X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, is a 25-year-old rapper and singer.

He rose to prominence with the release of his 2018 country rap single Old Town Road.

The hit was the longest-running number-one song since the U.S. Billboard Hot 100's 1958 inception.

In 2020, Lil Nas X won two Grammy Awards: one for Best Music Video and one for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, both for the aforementioned song with Billy Ray Cyrus.

But since finding fame and having a string of hits, Lil Nas X's recent singles have not been doing well.

Taking to TikTok to share a video of himself walking around Union Square, which is one of the busiest places in New York, Lil Nas X went unnoticed.

The rapper could be seen rocking a blue hoodie and a had with ears.

Filming himself as he walked around, the musician was beaming and seemingly very content.

"How it feels to be in my flop era and finally be able to exist as a human being again," he penned alongside the video.