I thought I'd share this email that I recieved this morning, and if you're not feeling thin today, then maybe this one will make you feel better.

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tanned woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said:

THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have a wonderful love life and they have adorable baby whales. They enjoy a lovely time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia .

Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators, other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of psychoanalysts due to an identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a love life! They lure men who dare to get close to them onto the rocks, not to mention the question of how could they have babies? Also, what man would want a woman who smelled of fish?

The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a whale.

P.S.. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a coffee with my friends.

With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads, that when there is no more room so it distributes out to the rest of our bodies.

We aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, my gosh, look how smart I am........