Monica is not on a diet. Monica is past the stage of being preoccupied with her appearance. Monica's reaction to food is fair and square - based on the thought that age has a nasty way of grinding you down and.......and well, 'to hell with that for an idea' she says. With the result that her lifestyle has one Golden Rule to cover every aspect, the same on for every aspect :-

Monica's denial, in the way it was given, won't help her cause in upholding her comfort level. If she had said - 'I can't possibly tackle that scone' and then added - 'but you, Felix, you have a go at it' .....now that WOULD have made a difference. it's the Christian aspect, innit!

When I hear, as I did this morning, of a young person hoping to go into one of the caring professions, then I am reminded of my own Nature Cure story. When I started to train as a naturopath, I heard all about the Vis Medicatrix Naturae....the body's remarkable capacity for self-healing, built - so it was stressed - into every living cell.

What was slightly less well enunciated (but which becomes all the more significant for having been discovered unaided ) is how every person who's been healed cannot stay well, unless they put their renewed lease of health to good use :-

'freely you have been given mate, freely you must now give'

once again, it is the simplicity of it which is so very revealing.
Back to the drawing board, Monica.