Dear LPG,

I know that the years can only be kind to the way we look if we let them. We all know how important it is to exercise and eat well when you are young if you want to look good when you are older.  But for all that, we older people seem to have bodies that ‘go south’ as they say, while we are too busy to even notice what is going on.   I don’t know about our male counterparts, but it seems to be a problem that upsets more of us ladies.  

Even though I have an upbeat outlook on my appearance I recently had one of those days when my upbeat was a little down.   I got up early and, as I was passing it in the half-light, I caught sight of the shape I made in the full-length mirror with not a lot on.  Reality set in as the person looking back at me was a lot bigger than I remember and I have to say that I am much more ready to avoid that experience first thing in the morning these days.

I wonder if anyone else finds that their first thought in the morning sometimes sticks with them all day?  Well, that is what happened to me.  That vision of the much fatter shadow of the person I used to be stayed with me so much so that, when doodling later that afternoon, my doodle turned into the lines that I would like to share with any likeminded ladies who need a bit of cheering up… 

Hourglasses, figures and time…  
a hopefully light-hearted look at a somewhat cruel reality of later life … 

Life’s time is like an hourglass
And ladies so are we
At least that’s what I hope 
My husband sees when he sees me

Back in the day when we were young 
There was so much to do
Working, sleeping and social life 
Forced exercise on us too 

Then things subtly start to sag
Kids come and muscles go
But we’re so busy when they’re young
and have no time to no…

 …tice our waistlines increasing
And time starts changing too
It seems the faster that we work
The less we seem to do

Imagine if your silhouette
Was like an hourglass 
As you get wider there’s more space 
For the sands of time to pass 

Though nothing’s changed, there seem to be 
Less hours in each day
We work as hard, but get less done
There’s nothing more to say

The sands flow faster there’s no doubt 
Because it has more space 
To squeeze through the fatter thinnest bit
Result; less time, more waist…

FR, Catford