Shorts

Skinny. Now there's a word I haven't heard in ages....
When I became a teen, size 12 was the ideal for a woman. Size 18 was considered large but not obese. Clothing sizes were standardized and we could order shoes, dresses, and under garments in our size from the Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward catalogs, confident that they should fit. When I was 14 or 15, Miss America's measurements were 36-26-36. I remember this because those were my measurements. (As there was a shorter distance between my 36s, the numbers looked better on her than on me.) As more and more glamour magazines for women began to began to be published, I started to see pictures of thinner models. The trend has continued to such an extent that film stars and models now look like concentration camp survivors, just with better hair and makeup. No wonder girls today as young as 10(!) have problems with their body image, and anorexia and bulimia have become rampant. And it's not just women. Men are told to bulk up and have washboard abs, to the point that they are so lumpy and bumpy they look like they should be wearing bras. The Incredible Hulk, just less green. People, grow up. I have helped elderly people dress and bathe. I know what you're going to look like when (if) you become 80 years old. You may look better than your next door neighbor, but you will not look good. I will not name names as to the picture I saw that caused this rant, but this person didn't look posh to me.

For mind, body and spirit...
Now that I'm retired, I have time to pursue more volunteer opportunities. I currently do work at our local botanical garden, pack meals for delivery with Meals on Wheels, and provide instrumental music for the congregation at my church when needed. I'm not bragging. I just feel the need to justify, to myself, the grace of continuing to occupy my little speck of the cosmos. I have to admit... the time I spend volunteering does more for me than for the people who benefit from those organizations.

Pullleeeeze(!)...
THE talk of the news has been Michelle Obama wearing shorts on Air Force One. While on vacation. Cool. Stylish. Rated G. Did she disrespect her 'position.' Should (would) nations and religions take offense? NBC conducted a poll... should she or shouldn't she have worn shorts? More responses were received for this poll than any to date. God help us if the paparazzi catch her with her swimming suit on. Go out laughing? My odds are still good.