Self Esteem Was in My Jeans!

Did you know that it's possible to get your self-esteem back with a pair of jeans?

It's true!

If you're a woman suffering from "an over 40 syndrome", your groove can be fully restored simply by obtaining the right pair of jeans. And if you have a loving and devoted daughter, you don't even have to go shopping for them.

Before I tell you how I came to this conclusion, I have a confession to make - I don't like to shop. With my Type A personality, I have absolutely no patience for schlepping from one store to the next, trying on clothes and hoping to make them all match and look good. It's fun for the first 15 minutes, then I get frustrated and bored. Shopping for a size four, six or even eight, might be different. But shopping for my size (10 - 12) poses challenges that I just don't care to deal with.

By now, many of you have heard that I had shoulder surgery, a relatively minor operation that came with a "bitch of a recovery." Not being able to take pain medication, I was incoherent half of the time. As a result, I made the dumb decision to step onto the scale two days after surgery. Thank goodness my daughter was standing next to me. Otherwise I would have fallen off the scale and broken every rib in my body on the hard tile floor.

I couldn't believe my eyes! Twelve freaking pounds up? Where did they come from in such a short amount of time? Is that even possible? I understand I had surgery. I know about fluid retention. And I even understand the delicacy of my age and the Fabulously 40 syndrome. But come on, people. Twelve pounds?

I'm not exactly a twig to begin with. So even if it was just water retention, 12 additional pounds made me look like a close relative of Shamu. So in addition to my physical pain from the surgery, I now had this emotional upset around my new "weight issue."

Of course, my husband and children assured me that everything would turn out okay and that I would return to normal in a few days. Nevertheless, I felt teary and sad, and even called my mom to complain. She thought I was insane for getting on the scale and proceeded to tell me so. (Mom, I'm looking for solution here, not a lecture...)

Transformation It used to be that my daughter shopped for clothes in my closet. But lately, our roles have reversed. She doesn't hesitate to get "upfront and personal" about what clothes I should buy, and she often brings me outfits from her closet that she thinks I need to wear.

So the day after my trauma on the scale, my daughter marched into my room, dumped a stack of jeans on my bed, and insisted I try them on. My arm wasn't working and I couldn't squeeze into a pair of jeans for the life of me, so she agreed to let me wait a day.

The following day rolled around and I gathered my courage to face the pile jeans. Slowly I began packing myself into the jeans, and as I did, an amazing thing happened. One by one, each pair looked better than the one before. Shocked, surprised and very pleased, I wondered, "Had I somehow shed the extra poundage as quickly as it latched on to me?" I jumped back on the scale and discovered that not only had I lost the 12 pounds put on after the surgery, I had somehow managed to lose three more.

Now ladies, I don't care if it's surgery, water retention or whatever -- 15 pounds in four days is a lot. But as I stood in front of the mirror, it quickly became irrelevant because I looked great in those jeans! In no time at all, my smile returned, my self-esteem shot sky high, and I felt so good that I just had to write about it.

I mean, who knew that so much self-esteem could be found in the jeans that reside in your daughter's closet. Heck, I may even take up shopping. Either way, it brings a whole new meaning to being Fabulous after forty.