A sign from above?

It's a miracle.

Not like other legendary miracles that have visited my people. Like when one day's worth of lamb oil lasted 8 days and staved off an attack by Roman Centaurians.

Or when the Lord appeared on Earth as a burning rhododendron tree and told Moses his people should be set free after only 400 years of slavery. Not right away mind you, he had to put on his little dog and pony and locust and murrain show before that could happen.

Or even when my uncle showed up on my birthday, bearing a gift I would actually use -- a regulation Wilson Football -- and not itchy, woolen pants from Saks Fifth Ave.

Not like those miracles, but a miracle nonetheless.

You see, last week, after fighting with my cargo shorts, which had been falling off my waist lately, I stepped on a scale and noticed I had lost close to 15 lbs. I'm back below 200, where I haven't been in quite a while.

Losing 15 lbs. may not seem like much to you, but for someone who has been battling weight since my first breath of oxygen, it's noteworthy. Particularly since it happened so fast and without much effort.

What's the secret, you may be asking. Well, I'm going to give you the recipe:

Two daughters leaving the nest for college

Add equal parts of finishing a manuscript for a book of short stories that will surely hasten my professional demise

Throw in a Mexican vacation with no viable access to cash, a moped fiasco and enough seaweed to cover the state of Delaware

Mix in a tumbling stock market and the near daily calls from my broker to "stay the course"

Finally, for good measure, add a pinch of a heat wave and another summer without air conditioning

That, my friends is how you concoct the Siegel Stress Souffle.

The irony here is that I've been losing weight without trying to lose weight. I've actually been exercising a little less (60 minutes versus my usual 90) and eating less because I just don't have the appetite lately. So the whole thing has been effortless. Which is sort of like icing on the cake.

Maybe it's a sign that I need to give up the life of a freelance writer and go back on staff at an agency? Where there's no stress.

And free bagels.