So girlfriend and were chatting yesterday. She’s around my age and had a beautiful mother whose genes she inherited.
Although she doesn’t think so. And so she’s had a few little cosmetic tweaks, even though her significant other thinks she’s a goddess.
No surprise. Because every girlfriend with a beautiful mother has the same thought: I can never live up to her.
My mother never traded on her beauty so I’m unscathed in that area.
So girlfriend and I were talking back and forth about the things women chat about (aging, sex, body image, sex, diet and exercise, sex) and of course, deprivation.
Afterwards, I sat in deep thought.
Some people dream of a world that pivots around the brotherhood of man. Ok, I get that and I buy into it for sure.
Others dream of a world without disease. Yes, I subscribe to that world, too.
How about a world of endless, boundless love? Who wouldn’t want that?
But when push came to shove, when I considered what a fantasy world for me might look like, here’s what came to mind.
In my fantasy world, I would not be wearing these around my waist.
In my fantasy world, red velvet cupcakes would be a main course.
In my fantasy world I dip into a cookie jar filled with a never-ending supply of Toll House cookies and milk. I’ll go with skimmed, but only because I’m dipping in all day long. Every day. Like when I used to smoke 30 years ago. When I weighed 120 lbs. Ok, the coke helped a bit, too. But I digress.
In my fantasy world, the health benefits of chocolate would extend to large pieces of triple-decker chocolate decadence. We would be encouraged to have several a day.
And key lime pie would be considered an excellent source of calcium and Vitamin C and an ideal breakfast food.
Which raised the most important question of all: Without carbs and sugar, is life even worth living?
Jay, yours was the first thing I read this morning and I smiled so broadly–THIS would be the comment a man would make on this post. Of course! Do women talk about sex at this age? Some do! My friends do.
Yes, of course it would! But would it be as fun? Not much.
Yesterday at my birthday lunch of homemade butternut squash soup with sweet potato and apple ( yes I threw in a handful of brown sugar but didn’t tell anyone), ham and cheese croissants and whole grain bread, and a pear and walnut sale with blue cheese, I noticed most of the really skinny ( X-ray thin) girls had a few sips of soup and three lettuce leaves on their plates.
The other love-handled middle aged gals all enjoyed a full plate and emptied their mugs, dug into the bowl of sweet potato chips, as the skinny ones ate the Kale chips ( I know them well).
Now grant you, it was my birthday, so I splurged, but still. All I could think of was a life of deprirvation for these gals who have serious control issues, I suspect.Next came out the flour less chocolate cake for $42.00. You can imagine what I scrapped off the plates.I ate the biggest piece and thought I’d died and gone to heaven and frozen the rest. Seven of the nine croissants went to my building crew doing house repairs outside, and I sent the chips and pistachio cranberry nut mix home with friends who have teenage sons at him only because I’d rather have regular potato chips and salty cashews. Sigh.
My friend Brooke( 5’8″ and 150) and my sister Liz (5’4″ and 118)-all fit women and I– the weightiest at 5″4″ and 140,had a blast and both went home with “goodie” bags.I licked the cake knife clean when the last guest left the kitchen.
I gave up the five C’s for Lent-Cake, Cookies, iceCream,Candy and Chips-but bargained with God to let me have my birthday–he said “Sure, why not-I put you down there to enjoy, so eat up.”
So I’ll let you know what giving up my favorite comfort foods would feel like for six weeks. But I sure do hope someone makes me an Easter basket.
My fantasy world would entail a world where really good breads (like the bread you get in a Parisian cafe) slathered in butter don’t do a thing to increase the size and scope of my stomach or hips. Desserts would be nice, too but bread and butter is my thing. I always wonder when/if I’ll ever just throw in the towel and eat whatever and whenever I want…..maybe when I hit 75?
Sounds like heaven, Carol! My biggest problem with it is knowing how crappy I feel (physically) after indulging in goodies like these. So in my heaven, not only do you not gain weight with this lusciousness, you feel terrific afterwards also! Sigh.
Heh…heh…heh…C…when I first read your above response to John, I thought it said “Don’t marsh my mallow”…which tells you what your gorgeous food photos made me think of: Thick mugs of melted chocolate cocoa topped with generous white sweet slabs of homemade marshmallow….paired with a salty, crunchy soft pretzel croissant… From the City Bakery in Manhattan…my favorite Winter between – audition snack….tonight however, we are dining on baked chicken breasts and lentils….sigh! Maybe baked apples for dessert….( another sigh)….. Xx
Wow! It’s as if you crawled inside my head with this post. Every single DAY I have this thought: why must I deprive myself of the foods I love in order to watch my weight? Even when I AM careful, I still gain. I was never thin to begin with, but it has gotten worse since menopause and my GAWD the food cravings……pretty much everything you posted here. Okay, now I need to find some cookies……
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Do Baby Boomer women really talk about sex that much?
Jay, yours was the first thing I read this morning and I smiled so broadly–THIS would be the comment a man would make on this post. Of course! Do women talk about sex at this age? Some do! My friends do.
Yes, of course it would! But would it be as fun? Not much.
Yesterday at my birthday lunch of homemade butternut squash soup with sweet potato and apple ( yes I threw in a handful of brown sugar but didn’t tell anyone), ham and cheese croissants and whole grain bread, and a pear and walnut sale with blue cheese, I noticed most of the really skinny ( X-ray thin) girls had a few sips of soup and three lettuce leaves on their plates.
The other love-handled middle aged gals all enjoyed a full plate and emptied their mugs, dug into the bowl of sweet potato chips, as the skinny ones ate the Kale chips ( I know them well).
Now grant you, it was my birthday, so I splurged, but still. All I could think of was a life of deprirvation for these gals who have serious control issues, I suspect.Next came out the flour less chocolate cake for $42.00. You can imagine what I scrapped off the plates.I ate the biggest piece and thought I’d died and gone to heaven and frozen the rest. Seven of the nine croissants went to my building crew doing house repairs outside, and I sent the chips and pistachio cranberry nut mix home with friends who have teenage sons at him only because I’d rather have regular potato chips and salty cashews. Sigh.
My friend Brooke( 5’8″ and 150) and my sister Liz (5’4″ and 118)-all fit women and I– the weightiest at 5″4″ and 140,had a blast and both went home with “goodie” bags.I licked the cake knife clean when the last guest left the kitchen.
I gave up the five C’s for Lent-Cake, Cookies, iceCream,Candy and Chips-but bargained with God to let me have my birthday–he said “Sure, why not-I put you down there to enjoy, so eat up.”
So I’ll let you know what giving up my favorite comfort foods would feel like for six weeks. But I sure do hope someone makes me an Easter basket.
Oh, girlfriend, I love you. I do! I’m glad your birthday was GREAT! Food-wise and otherwise..
I want to live in your world.
Come on over, Virtual Sissy!
How funny – we live in the same fantasy world!
We MUST Stick together!
I’m so ready to enter your fantasy world. We need jelly beans and milkshakes, though.
LOVE those, too!
I just cut myself a slice of Chocolate Mousse Cake and sat down to read blogs — yours popped up. MUST BE A SIGN! LOL
Save some for me!
My fantasy world would entail a world where really good breads (like the bread you get in a Parisian cafe) slathered in butter don’t do a thing to increase the size and scope of my stomach or hips. Desserts would be nice, too but bread and butter is my thing. I always wonder when/if I’ll ever just throw in the towel and eat whatever and whenever I want…..maybe when I hit 75?
A good bread is worth its weight in GOLD.
Sounds like heaven, Carol! My biggest problem with it is knowing how crappy I feel (physically) after indulging in goodies like these. So in my heaven, not only do you not gain weight with this lusciousness, you feel terrific afterwards also! Sigh.
I like that modification.
So….type 2 diabetes wouldn’t enter your fantasy world either?
John … John…don’t harsh my mellow!
Heh…heh…heh…C…when I first read your above response to John, I thought it said “Don’t marsh my mallow”…which tells you what your gorgeous food photos made me think of: Thick mugs of melted chocolate cocoa topped with generous white sweet slabs of homemade marshmallow….paired with a salty, crunchy soft pretzel croissant… From the City Bakery in Manhattan…my favorite Winter between – audition snack….tonight however, we are dining on baked chicken breasts and lentils….sigh! Maybe baked apples for dessert….( another sigh)….. Xx
Wow! It’s as if you crawled inside my head with this post. Every single DAY I have this thought: why must I deprive myself of the foods I love in order to watch my weight? Even when I AM careful, I still gain. I was never thin to begin with, but it has gotten worse since menopause and my GAWD the food cravings……pretty much everything you posted here. Okay, now I need to find some cookies……
Just give me the endless supply of Chocolate Chip Cookies and the triple chocolate decadence. I am so ready to join you in the fantasy world.
Ahha, take me too in your fantasy world. Red velvet cupcakes loos so delicious!