Dear Ann Landers,
've been a widow for five years. When my husband died I never dreamed I could ever be interested in another man. But the wounds have healed. I am forty-eight years old and look every day of it. My figure is trim, and with the help of a beautician I've kept the gray out of my hair. But it's the small pouches under my eyes and my sagging jowls that give me away. If I had a little surgery, I would look ten years younger. When I see the attractive divorcees who have youth and beauty on their side, I realize the competition is razor sharp. The woman who looks thirty-eight is sure to get more chances than the woman who looks forty-eight. Be realistic, Ann, do I see the plastic surgeon or not?-Mirrors Don't Lie

Dear M.,
The man who is interested in worthwhile human literature will read between the lines. Have the surgery if you think it will lift your spirits, but don't expect it to produce miracles. And P.S.: A man who would be attracted to a woman because she looks a few years younger is no red-hot bargain.