Just wanted to share this for any woman making a change in her life.

While on my bike ride I was standing at the first traffic light when an older man in a redneck Chevy yelled out his window, “Why don’t you take that fat a** somewhere else!”

I contained myself and decided he wasn’t worth my time. I continued on my ride, blood dripping down my hand and thought about what I would say to that man given the chance:

You see sir, today I’m probably biking more than you’ll be driving in that pickup. I’ve already done my 3/4 mile swim this morning. I’m not too concerned about your opinion of my “fat a**” because I know that stuffed inside these spandex tights is an average woman at a size 12/14.

Inside this body is a well above average 200 pounds. What does that mean? It means my “fat a**” has probably more muscle in it than any combination of parts you have, and my lower center of gravity means this solid 200 pounds has the capacity to knock the wind out of your linebacker style but I am too much a lady.

I’m not mad you said something insensitive and hurtful to me. I’m mad because had I been that girl who gathered the courage to shove her “fat a**” into these tights because she wanted to lose weight, your words might have hurt. As it stands, I’m not concerned with who you are because I KNOW who I am.

DANNETTE TAYLOR

Post Falls