Vanity, Thy Name Is Woman?

I am determined to age gracefully, let me assure all my faithful readers. I have always told myself that I will not let any strand of grey hair or any hint of a wrinkle on my face faze me in any way whatsoever. There is an acceptance within me that the inexorable passage of time does a number on all of us, and however one might try to fight the aging process, it will definitely be in vain. So here I am, all set to embrace my burgeoning years with equanimity and grace, and not get into panic mode when I see visible signs of the years creeping up on me. However, I am determined to live the rest of my life as healthily as possible, eat judiciously, exercise cautiously, and not wreck my body foolishly till I fade into the sunset.

Eat well and exercise regularly - now that requires super human will and determination. Not quite easy in a world replete with fast food, TV dinners, and ubiquitous "couch potato-ism"! When the temptation of super sizing your meal lurks around every corner, and the calorie-laden frappucinos and mocha lattes assault your nostrils, it is very easy to fall off the wagon, not to mention the margaritas luring you with picture-perfect scenes of white sandy beaches, lush palm trees, blue skies and sunny climes! And then there's always the excuse of your hyper-scheduled, hyper-stimulated, hyper-conditioned, overworked days that blind you to the treadmill beckoning you and justify your lazing around on the couch till it's time to crash into bed.

As human as I am, I rise and fall, rise and fall! I sit in on a meeting, and when the doughnuts are passed around, I have the strength of mind to resist those perfect rounds of sinful delight, but when a graduating student of mine hands me a box of wicked fruit tarts, I indulge in a couple, oblivious to the calories and rationalizing that it's fruit after all. Am out for dinner with my men and valiantly refuse the delectable, calorie-rich sushi and settle for a miso soup and seafood salad instead, but then again, on a perfectly balanced day diet-wise, I give in to some gooey peanut candy saturated with brown sugar (not the dope, please!). Yes, the road to hell is paved with delicacies of all kinds, and while I resist most of them, I yield to a few, and thus the battle goes on, relentlessly each day.

The aforementioned battle is not at all an attempt to look youthful and bewitching, but merely a wise move to stay healthy and disease-free for the remaining years of my life. I certainly am not scheduled to star in a movie or be part of a beauty contest, as ridiculous as that sounds, but I plan not to fall sick with my wayward ways and be a burden to my loved ones when I'm old. Vanity, thy name is woman? Not in my case. It's more like, "Sanity, thy name is Olivia!!!"