i've been thinking a lot about vanity. i think india may effected me more than i realized. as the weeks pass and i see commercial after commercial for products and programs that will make us skinny, shiny, happy people, all i can think is how wrong we are, how very far off track we've gotten. the folks in agra, who are subsisting in devastating poverty are not concerned about how much they weigh or how unmanageable their hair is. don't get me wrong, i am sure vanity exists in their world, but truly, i find myself embarrassed by the riches we have that we fully take for granted. it is troubling me to see the women with the artificially plumped up lips and the men with the frozen foreheads. and i just keep feeling like we are missing something vital to happiness, but i can't quite grasp what that thing is. that said, i really must go to the gym...