Stilettos No More. . .and Other Delinquent Thoughts

When I began reading “Stilettos No More,” I was interested in learning what the author Diana Estill’s take is on what happens to women as we age.  Since I am only, ahem, 43, I didn’t expect to be experiencing too many of the “symptoms” yet. Boy was I wrong.  I guess the title should have clued me in.  No, I do not have stilettos anymore.  I gave them away to a friend who is still in her twenties and has no problems with wearing them all day at work.  I don’t think that I could ever do that. I didn’t think that giving up on those shoes was an ageism issue.  I was injured in a car accident.  From that injury I discovered that I have accelerated arthritis for a woman “my age.”  But since it was considered accelerated, I assumed that it had more to do with twenty plus years of karate. I guess not.
          
As I continued to read on, I kept finding myself thinking, “That’s me too!”  I guess I don’t have to wait until I hit nifty-fifty to start feeling it now.  Unlike the author, I haven’t been offered a senior plate special yet; however, I am getting flyers from The Scooter Store in the mail.  It’s coming.  I have also discovered the errant hairs that seem to pop up from nowhere. Why didn’t anybody ever tell me about those?  I’ve learned more about hair issues from reading “Stilettos No More,” than from reading any beauty magazine.  It definitely isn’t pretty! By the way, the Epilady hair removers work great on removing toe hair without slicing up your feet.  Not that I would be speaking from experience.

Ms. Estill mentions body slimmers a few times.  She also talks about how our bladders seem to fill up faster as we age.  I don’t wear the body slimmers because of the pressure that it puts on my bladder!   So she has one up on me.  Her discussions about how our bodies change are absolutely hysterical and right on the mark.  Once again, I know what I have to look forward to.

“Stilettos No More” seems to cover every topic that a woman will face as she hits her middle ages.  From looks, to cooking, to shopping, to relationships, this book has it all.  Being that it is just sixty pages, you would assume that it would be a fast read, but it is not.  I spent way too much time laughing and being grateful that I don’t have a weak bladder.  As I read, it occurred to me that I might be getting more laugh lines, from laughing so hard.  Then I pondered how many calories one might burn while laughing heartily.  I think it is a fair trade.  I can’t remember ever reading anything so entertaining in my life.  Trust me I have done a lot of reading.  I highly, highly recommend reading “Stilettos No More.” I also suggest giving it as a gift to every woman that you know.

Stilettos No More. . .and Other Delinquent Thoughts
Diana Estill
Kindle Edition (2010)
ASIN B004D9FW0W
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (12/10)