does this car make me look fat? (m)

In the summer of 1980, my friend Liza and I were planning our move to Philadelphia.  I was going into my second year of the MBA program at The Wharton School.  Liza was a first-year student, but living off campus.  We had a lot of furniture to take with us and decided to rent a van.

We got to the U-Haul place, described how much stuff we had--including my roommate Christina and her stuff (whom we were picking up in NYC)--and the people at the counter suggested we rent a truck.  A full-sized truck.

Liza and I gave them our licenses, signed the papers, paid in advance and walked out to the lot.  We looked at the huge truck and said, "okay...get in".  We each headed for the passenger's seat.  We never had a conversation about who would drive the truck, each assuming the other person would.  We flipped a coin and I lost.  I drove the truck from Boston to mid-town Manhattan and then to Philadelphia.  I was a basket case.  East 56th Street at mid-day was the worst.

I vowed I would never make that mistake again.

But I did. 

Last week, we bought a new "car."  A 2010 Yukon SLT.  A big mother .  We thought it would be good to have one car in the family where we could pack all our gear (hockey bags, skating bags, baseball bags, my oversized luggage to fit my entire closet since I never know what to pack for trips).

Yesterday, my husband handed me the keys and said, "Okay...here you go.  I'll take your car...you can have the new one."  While that sounds like a magnanimous gesture, I know the real reason is that he thinks it's too big, particularly coming from his two-seater car.

Getting used to a new vehicle is always a challenge.  However, the biggest surprise for me yesterday was not the newness of the vehicle, but the size.

For the past several months, I have downsized everything in my life....smaller portions on my plate, smaller sized clothes in my closet, even a smaller "lifestyle."

Now, I'm driving around in a car my mother calls "the bus" as in "we're not taking that bus, are we?"

I just hope this car doesn't make me gain weight.