Most of you probably don鈥檛 remember the column 鈥淟augh at Life鈥� that I had the privilege to write years ago (thus鈥� the 鈥渞evisited鈥� in the title).
Although a privilege, I think raising children is one of the hardest jobs many of us ever do and often, during those challenging years, I felt overwhelmed.
Back then I found that I needed to actively seek out humour in my life and I think writing it down kept me less stressed and, dare I say, at least somewhat sane. (That is arguable, however. Don鈥檛 ask my adult kids.)
Recently, the stressful time we鈥檝e been propelled into (the year 2020) has got me back to writing intensely and I am more than thankful for that.
Today I will admit to something else I find anxiety-inducing, besides the present pandemic.
I have a short list of things I detest and are almost phobic of. Pictures of myself rank near the top, if not at the very top, of that list.
When the editor (thanks Calvin D!) emailed that he needed a 鈥渉eadshot鈥� for this column, my heart skipped more than a few beats and my hand did not hold steady as I quickly snapped a few 鈥渟elfies鈥� just to see how bad it was.
I, unrealistically, expected Calvin to feel sorry for me. After reading about my issue in the last article I thought he could have emailed something like this鈥� 鈥淲e鈥檒l just let that picture thing go. We鈥檒l be glad (?) to print only your thoughts. Don鈥檛 send picture!!鈥�
Alas, no such email was forthcoming so鈥f you鈥檙e wondering鈥� this picture happened well before my tooth fell out and before the 鈥渁t least鈥� 19 pounds gained since Covid 19 began.
The picture you see is the best one I could find and, to be honest, was taken a year ago. I鈥檒l just say鈥� a more recent one hasn鈥檛 worked out. I thought the weight I recently gained had all come to rest below my waist and onto my ample bottom but clearly it hasn鈥檛. As I gaze at my selfies, I realize that more than some has plastered onto my face. How sad for me. How many chins can that area hold anyway?!
No amount of writing will be therapy enough to fix my selfie-phobia. There are other stresses, however, that may be lessened and I don鈥檛 know about you but my need for a few laughs these days is huge.
I am going to be blatantly transparent and I hope that there will be at least one other person who can relate to something I write. Please keep in mind that sarcasm will be on the agenda. I completely understand if you don鈥檛 鈥済et鈥� that sort of humour. You鈥檙e probably better off for it but I am honoured to have the privilege of sharing my simple thoughts with those who choose to read these! Thank you and see you in two weeks!聽 聽
