I swear laughter truly is the best medicine. Not forced or gentle sniggering but full bellied hurt your sides laughter. The type that makes a 46 year old woman reach for her crouch ( not in a good way)… My sister and friends booked a holiday two years ago. Budget was low and so were expectations. We all knew we’d have fun but everything else we didn’t really care about. It was the holiday we never thought would come. Even the week before headlines screamed of panic in airports, queues of hundred of people and flights being cancelled at the drop of the hat. There had been so much disappointment in the pandemic we almost couldn’t allow ourselves to get excited. But the Gods were smiling on us and the day arrived.

Ive been counting down the days. Promising myself this week Ill cut out bread, booze, butter and carbs. Ill fast not eat past 8pm anything to shift that stubborn roll from my stomach. I scoured pinterest for exercise regimes to rid my belly. Of course some effort was made, but by our departure time arrived I still looked pretty much the same. This year was also monumental as I had bought bikini’s. Something I hadn’t worn for years. Id convinced myself that my navy swimming costume with built in support made me look thinner. That showing my lily white slightly flabby tummy would offend. But catching sight of my reflection I decided the costume was aging, unflattering made me look frumpy. Whatever goes on people really don’t care so why should I!

Between us girls we have 11 kids, cellulite, droopy boobs, a varicose vein or two, stretch marks, bunions and the odd hair poking out of our chins that we missed plucking but did we care NO. Love island contestants we were not,but at that small Spanish hotel on the costa brava we were the centre of attention because we laughed and laughed and laughed.

The stories we have, the escapades we’ve got up to the people we have met would make a very funny book. We forgot responsibility, school run’s, cooking and cleaning for a short few days and remembered life before that. Those days you could sleep after a heavy night till noon. When you could get in a 5am and be on the bus to work at 8am with a bar of chocolate and a carton of ribena. When you sat in a pub garden all afternoon in the sun and laughed. When your dinner was bags of salt n vinegar crisps and nuts as you didn’t want to leave. Yes we wistfully remembered those times with fondness but none of us would change what we have right now.

Of course there were a few tears. We all have crosses to carry. Those instagram perfect lives are mostly a facade, fiction. Everyone has a story, pain, and hurt and these moments of hilarity are perfectly balanced. But we discovered laying on sun loungers with sandy toes and our skin’s warmed by the evening sun was we are strong women. Warriors of life who have experienced death, depression, divorce, debt moments of huge sadness and we have still survived. We have cleaned our wounds, dusted ourselves off and carried on each time that little bit stronger. And sharing these times, listening, talking giving advise well, its made us even stronger still. Lionesses ready now for next years holiday xx

Once again thank you for reading. This is something I enjoy very much that I still haven’t shared, so any comments positive or negative are very much welcomed xx