No ‘hadal’ flex. If you don’t already know. It means don’t talk,  flex. Mental gymnastics aren’t needed to impress. Let’s face it, they over looked your stellar personality. They took notice after you started working on your “body project.” You clocked in overtime at the gym and subjected yourself to tongue lashing and whip cracking. Courtesy of an ex-military officer gone rogue – I mean “personal trainer.” The verbal abuse you incurred was well worth it. You used to keep your shadow company and struggle to fit your calool [belly] into your jeans, in the hopes your button wouldn’t launch into someone’s face, leaving a casualty behind.

Fast-forward to penetrating stares and fear of being trampled to death by human stampedes. The incessant cat calls won’t let up. Instinct tells you to wear some formless garment *cloaking device* as a distraction. Now that the opposite sex sees you in a whole new light insecurity starts to settle in. You can’t come to terms with your new figure. You’re unable to reconcile the fact that you are not who you were then. Although it’s apparent that the animal magnetism emanating from you has reached its peak. Could it be the new found confidence that’s accompanied the physical change? Is it the positive energy you radiate? Is it that quick wit that you never knew you had, or the physique? What’s for certain is it’s foreign to you, people fawning over you. Even your rivals are bemused by your transformation. You’re friends are in awe,  coxing you for tips and one-on-one training sessions.

You love the attention, but you realize it’s fleeting, based solely on your aesthetic. You question if you are a body on a slab, or a mind? You feel empowered but dis-empowered all at the same time – Catch 22. You would rather not go back to life when handles were on your side, and spare tires weren’t merely from Good Year. It’s a scary thought, a life of inattention, self-doubt, low self-esteem and self-pity. It dons on you that you should have felt good about yourself beforehand, that your physical form is constantly changing and to enjoy the ride while it lasts.