Carole Simpson
As a young woman in my twenties and thirties I was in pretty good shape – tall, slender, long legged and trim. There wasn’t a skirt too short nor a bikini too skimpy for me to wear. All of a sudden I am forty years older and time, gravity, and childbirth have taken their toll. I’m not fat but I’m sure not what I used to be. All of the hours I spend at the gym and walking aren’t getting me back there either. In fact, I think the best I can hope for is to maintain where I am.
Recently my husband and I were driving down a residential street on which the local municipality had erected signs that are intended to alert drivers that they need to slow down and drive cautiously in this neighborhood. The sign said ‘Thickly Settled’. The meaning, of course, is that there are lots of people, kids, dogs, etc. in the vicinity. I took one look at it and loudly said ‘that’s me – that exactly describes me’. Henceforth, forever and ever, I shall think of (and refer to) myself as ‘Thickly Settled’. A perfect description for a slightly past middle aged body.
Warm, witty, and wise story. Thank you.