Only Skin Deep
an excerpt

I am awakened from a sound sleep by the beeping of my alarm clock. Shutting it off, I crawl out of bed and head to the bathroom. The face that looks back at me in my mirror is horrifying to me. It is my face, but it looks much older than my birth certificate states. I am 45 years old and look 60. Maybe the result of the last year of my life I tell myself. I am recently divorced. Hubby went looking for a younger version of me. Oh well, get a move on girl. Reaching into the shower, I turn the water on and wait for a minute to test the temperature. Satisfied that I won’t be scalded, I retrieve a towel from the linen closet and step in. The warm water cascading down my body feels soothing this morning. I slept badly last night and can’t quite shake off the effects. I finish my shower by washing my hair with a really great smelling shampoo. If I can’t look good, might as well smell good. This thought makes me chuckle. At least something is funny this morning. Before leaving the bathroom, I decide to take stock of myself. I have brown hair that hangs down from a center part, and is in need of a better haircut. My eyes are hazel, but are beginning to get lost under drooping eyelids. Small bags are starting to show under my eyes, and my jaw line is not as defined as it once was. Moving down, I see that my breasts are no longer perky, there is a small pouch where a flat stomach should be, my thighs are larger than I would like, and I would like to lose 15 pounds. With a sigh, I decide that there is much that could be improved.