Not too long ago I was whipping through a Maureen Dowd column in The New York Times, expecting more hilarious commentary on the current state of affairs, when I realized that a large portion of the piece was devoted to Dr. Leonard’s America’s Leading Discount Healthcare Catalogue.
It seems Ms. Dowd had the eye-opening occasion to stay with her ailing mother for a time in a nursing home and one of the main forms of entertainment was Dr. Leonard’s. While Ms. Dowd undoubtedly appreciated the catalog’s product offerings (such as Eagle Eyes sunglasses and Frankie Avalon’s Zero Pain roll-on) she also seemed to have felt, just by reading through it, the cold shivers of age sneaking up on her. Thrilled when she and her mother were able to leave, one of the first things Ms. Dowd did was return to catalogs that she felt expressed who she was, not who she might someday be.
Feeling a bit alarmed myself, I immediately checked the catalogs I was receiving. Happily no Dr. Leonard’s lurked in my stash, but a FootSmart filled with all kinds of helps for bunions and the like did, and it suddenly became more frightening than it had any reason to be
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