Slimanoff

I don’t know Dave well. He is the “complementary spouse” to my good friend and colleague, Britt Shirley. I have met Dave on more than one occasion and exchanged idle chatter and small talk.

Dave Simanoff was, physically, a large man, on his way to fighting his insecurities head on. I say ‘was’ because after his weight reduction surgery this past week, he will be a lot smaller — with an impressive bucket list of life goals. You must read his blog at www.slimanoff.com. The play on words on the title of his blog is very clever. The blog is well written, insightful and stark naked. I was touched by his ability to share the most intimate details of his life with humor and candor.

I am the last to pass any value judgement on how much people weigh, or their physical appearance. As someone who has fought the battle of the bulge and struggled with excess weight most of my life, Dave’s journey through weight reduction surgery struck a cord. There are few of us who confront our weaknesses in the public domain. There are even fewer who “own it” and share our deepest insecurities and our personal journey. I was touched by how Dave bared his soul and wrote candidly about how his weight ballooned to over 350 pounds at his heaviest. And his motivation to do what it takes to improve his health.

There is a lesson here for all of us. We can either pretend to hide our insecurities, or confront our greatest fears to live better lives. No value judgement here. Just an important life lesson from a very large man who hopes to be a mere physical image of his former self.

Go get ’em Dave. I am rooting for you.