The Pants Problem

I always worried about all the weight I would gain when I got pregnant. I've never been one to workout, regularly or even sporadically, and I didn't think I would ever be able to motivate myself to do so. So when my doctor told me I should start getting at least 30 minutes of exercise every day I thought that sounded like quite a tall order; not so much the 30 minutes part but the every day part. I really have trouble doing something, anything, consistently day after day. I'm usually able to get in about 3 or 4 days in a row, and then I get so sick of it I stop for a week or two. It's really a problem. 

But luckily, or unluckily, for me "The Pants Problem" has solved that problem. I have a coworker who is super sweet and nurturing; she always asks how I'm feeling and if she can do anything for me. I really genuinely like this girl. However, a few weeks ago I got to work and she couldn't wait to show me what she had picked up for me... a pair of maternity jeans. And not just any old maternity jeans, these maternity jeans...

They are embellished like that all the way down both sides. She said she had gotten them for me from her Mother's Club at church and added that she never wore anything that embellished when she was pregnant. And instead of saying the first thing that came into my mind, which was "Then why would you think I would want to wear something 'that embellished'?" I had to pretend that I loved them so as not to hurt her feelings. She obviously doesn't follow my same rules of gift-giving, one of which mandates: "Don't give someone something you wouldn't wear/use yourself."

Now don't get me wrong, I honestly appreciated the gesture. I even tried to convince myself on the way home that maybe they weren't that awful, and maybe I could wear them to work a few times so she didn't feel bad. But then I showed them to Paul and the look of horror on his face, plus his flat-out statement that "You're not leaving the house in those," convinced me otherwise. 

My only salvation in this situation is that they really are too big... and I plan on keeping them that way. The only way I can get out of wearing them and still not hurt her feelings is if they don't fit. She can't argue with that, right? Therefore, I have most definitely, without fail, been getting my 30 minutes of exercise every day. I'm like a woman possessed when it comes to working out. Walking, lifting weights, yoga... they're all on the agenda. I cannot, will not grow into these pants! Thank you, well-meaning coworker, you have solved my laziness problem in one fell swoop. :)