The photo was taken ten years ago—a lifetime, really. I had stored the picture away in an envelope in a box in the garage—there to keep but mostly forgotten. That hard copy of the photo was given to me by Gail at my baby shower. When I opened the envelope, I laughed and then I cried. My mother advised me to rip it up and never let anyone see it again. I cursed every single person who advised me to eat anything I wanted because I was “eating for two.” I cringed recalling my repeated visits to buffet brunches and the hordes of bacon, eggs benedict and danishes that I piled on my plate. So, when my friend alerted me to the picture’s existence in the gallery and the website, it sent me into an existential tailspin. Like a stubborn gray hair, it had resurfaced. I realized it would live forever on the web and would remain a part of me like those stretch marks on my stomach. So I had to come to terms with it.
