Eating Disorders Awareness Week

As excited as the staff at Forest View Hospital may have been with Kirsten's big win at Miss America, I'm sure it left them in a minor state of panic. Kirsten was scheduled for a series of appearances with the hospital for Eating Disorders Awareness Week prior to winning the title, leaving a rather large (and unfamiliar) void for me to fill.

I woke up before the sun on Wednesday morning to start my long trek to Muskegon for the first of these appearances. My first stop was for breakfast in Portland, Michigan (it's the City of Two Rivers, btw). My mission during my reign as Miss Michigan to singlehandedly boost the Michigan economy by supporting local businesses when ever possible, which can lead to some interesting experiences on the road. I was specifically looking for a mom and pop restaurant when I spotted a place in a strip mall with a sign that read 'Restaurant' - always a good sign (bad pun intended). I sat down and the waitress handed me a menu that read 'exit 77 - An American Mom & Pop Restuarant'. Jackpot! It was classic Godspeak and I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

I arrived at the event at Muskegon Community College and met up with Karyn, the woman running the week's events. The evening's program was for local elementary school kids and their parents. I spent some time visiting with the kids before speaking to the larger group. I must say, it is not easy addressing an audience with such a wide age range, but they were a great group and it went well. I spoke about the values of the Miss America program and the emphasis on inner beauty, as well as how I personally define inner beauty.

After the presentation, I followed Karyn back to my hotel in Grand Rapids... the J.W. Marriott! If you're not familiar, it is a beautiful five star hotel and it was so nice of them to put me up there. Karyn proceeded to tell the valet and bell desk that I was Miss Michigan and I think they were going back and forth on who would get to take my luggage up to my room. Lucky for me, the cute one won. The entire time I was there the staff was treating me, quite literally, like royalty.

The next day, I woke up early to cram an hour of work in before visiting East Grand Rapids Middle School. I was speaking at a special optional assembly for the 8th grade girls and about 100 of them chose to attend. The boys, on the other hand, spent their passing period peaking around doorways trying to get a glimpse of me. The thought crossed my mind that if they knew how old I was, they'd probably think I was old. Anyway, I was excited to talk to the girls because I remember what it was like to be that age and I remember how awful it was. So much cattiness and peer pressure, and unfortunately, nothing has changed. During the Q&A one of the girls asked me if I had my violin with me. I could barely finish saying that I didn't have it with me when one of the girls jumps up and says "Oh, oh, I can get you one!" Within a matter of 3 minutes there was a violin in the room and I had no choice but to perform on a foreign instrument, completely cold, with no background music. It was a bit shaky but they absolutely loved it and I must admit, I enjoyed the spontaneity. These girls were so much fun to talk to and I left feeling really energized.

After the morning appearance, I headed back to my beautiful hotel for a full day of work. Luckily, the lounge had an amazing view of the museum, because I was there for a good six hours. Later that evening I attended a reception at a local art gallery where I was interviewed by Maranda. I'm not sure Maranda has a last name. I think she's kind of like Madonna and Cher. Nevertheless, if you mention her in Grand Rapids, people will know who you're talking about.

Later that evening, I participated in a panel discussion on the topic of eating disorders. I can't emphasize enough how completely lost I was in this conversation. Professor Klump from Michigan State University delivered a brilliant presentation about the connection between genetics and eating disorders. At least, I think it was brilliant because she used all kinds of words I didn't know. Thus, the questions that followed were fairly complex and could only be answered by the other counselors, psychologists, and researchers on the panel. Karyn was so kind to throw me a bone and ask about the prevalence of eating disorders in pageants. In a nut shell, I said that I wouldn't really know, but that this program demands so much from the contestants that it would be hard to do it if you weren't healthy.

By the time I returned to my hotel room, I was so tired that I could barely see straight. Of course, that's no excuse for not getting my work done, so I put in another hour of work before passing out. I just have to remind myself that this is the price I have to pay to have my cake and eat it too. For as exhausted as I am, I thrive on challenges and I'm happier than I've been in a really long time.