Every seven years, the state of Washington insists upon issuing new vehicle license plates even if you have the same old car. (I suppose that’s ONE WAY of keeping the inmates busy, but never mind that for now…)

Two middle-aged female friends of mine dutifully turned in their plates the same week and received the “next available” license plate. In Washington, a standard issue plate is three numbers, then a space, then three letters. Both of them got the letters “SXL” after their numbers.

The first woman complained to me that now “everyone will look at that SXL on my license plate and think, She’s Xtra-Large.” The second woman laughed and said, “I took one look at those letters and thought oh, cool… now everyone will know I’m a SeXy Lady.”

The moral is obvious, the lesson is clear, and only you know how you really perceive yourself. I suggest, though, if you’re among those in the first group, that you take a good hard look at your beliefs about yourself… Sometimes we’re our own worst enemy.