I would like to share something with you that happened early on Monday morning, just as I was getting ready to leave for work. I had checked myself out in the mirror and thought I was looking fairly presentable; make-up done, hair done and dressed appropriately for the meetings I had that day.

As I sat down for a few minutes my husband, who has lost a fair bit of weight recently himself, looked across with one of those “I’m being sincere” looks. That always means trouble!

” Listen pet,” he says, ” You know I don’t want to hurt your feelings but.. do you not think you should lay off the pies. Your double chin is in danger of becoming a treble and as for your tummy”.

At this point I interrupted, with a kind of, ” Oh my goodness dear, but have you met me before.” or something along those lines (you get the drift). But no, the poor soul has not heard of ” If you have dug yourself a hole, throw away the spade” saying, and on he went with his caring advice.

Do you know in the end I actually had to laugh ( that is strange for me). Yes, I have put on weight and quite honestly you couldn’t carry buns to me at the minute, so I took it in the spirit it was intended, and that is very refreshing and new for me in this particular circumstance. He genuinely hoped to help me, even if most women I know would read this and want to choke him.

If someone truthfully intends no hurt then why do we take a hurt?  No-one has to be that interested in you so, if like me, you have asked for honesty and help from people in the past how can you take offence when they try to do just that.

Oh, and it’s okay; he has survived to tell the tale!