So yesterday a big truck backed its way into my driveway, on it was a number of pallets, some carrying cedar bedding, some full of feed for my critters and some strapped down with full sheets of plywood and 2 by 4’s etc.

Its the first time I have paid to have a load delivered, we normally just pick up a truck load full on the way to and from need to do trips, but full sheets of plywood would not fit in our vehicles and we didn’t want them cut, so I figured in for a dime, might as well go for the whole bunch as the delivery price is the same for one thing or a full flat bed truck load.

Olderish (late 40’s or early 50’s) gentleman comes out of the cab, smiles at me and says, want to go get the tractor, to which, I smile back and say, we don’t own one.. the smile slowly fades, and I say, I told them, that I didn’t have one when I ordered and that we would have to take everything off and restack it, guy sigh’s and says, well this will take a good while, so I smile and say, I will give a helping hand and we will get done sooner then you think..

He does the eye flick, and with it, my ire is just a tiny bit up right there, but I smile sweetly, he says, I don’t know mam, the bedding is 40 pds, most of the bags are either 60 or 80 pds (does he think I don’t know the weight of the feed bags I ordered?) might want to let me do it..

Now, If I had thought that he said it because I was busy canning, and said I needed to be in the house, or if I thought he said it because I looked sick with a snot running cold, I would have been fine with it.. but he said it because he saw that I was heavy..

Farmgal is not thin, I am overweight, I have lost weight in the past two years but I would by the medical field need to lose alot more before I am going to be within their norm, not that I ever would be, even in my teens and early twenties when I could work a full time job, a part time job and still have the energy to go shake a tail feather on the dance for another couple hours, I was still well over 200 pds, I am the shortest in my family at 5’10 but I am still ahead of the average in height, and bone in regards to female structure. 

So I said to him, how about we just start and see how it goes, so off comes the first pallet of shavings and he pushes them down, I stack them, he gets down and starts helping me, him”hey, you are doing really well at this” smile and nod..

Second pallet of shavings, and he is starting to puff just a little, says to me.. no farmers around here will come and unload for you, smile at him.. no, its fall and they are all busy and can’t book them when I didn’t know when you would come, they just said, sometime today, finish that pallet, and he is huff, huff.. think we should take a break.. ok.. Looks at me, looks at the farm, so what do you have for equipment.. nothing much I say, don’t even have a snow blower, he looks down the lane.. no way you need one of those, I smile, the odd storm, we pay to have it cleared, but most of the time its done by hand.. guy, just shakes his head..

So I smile and say, we had better get that next pallet of feed done, he says, these is the really heavy ones.. I can throw them off, I go, don’t want the bags to break, that would be bad, just bring it to the edge and lower it and I will get it and restack it on that pallet.. so bag after bag and the guy finally says, guess if you do it all by hand, you are stronger then you look, and I give the eye flick again.. and we keep unloading the bags, and then the wood, and he starts his cleanup and tie downs, I go get tarps cover them, then put sheets of plywood on top (he came around to help me get them on.. thanks.. head back to the garden edge and he just stares as I come around with a full size tire in each hand, and throw one up on top each, shakes his head and says, you have a good day now and I head back into the house.

So here is my question? Why does everyone think just because someone is heavy and or overweight that they are weak and/or lazy?! 

I have meet stick thin ladies that are as weak as a wet noodle, and I am friends with a few girls who are one the thinner sides and they are strong girls, I have meet thin ladies that are lazy by their nature, and I have meet thin ladies that are hard-working, I have meet heavier ladies that are workhorses, and have meet heavier ladies that do next to nothing and are weak as kittens..

Why is it so hard for folks to figure out that judging someone on if they are strong in body by their size does not eqaul out in real life.

So what do you think, given that I am heavy, should I just expect folks to judge me, and water off a duck’s back, or do you think that regardless of size, you should be judged on what you can do, not how you look?