A simple piece of jewelry.......

As we get older and "lose" ourselves to our family, careers and everything else that gets in the way of being "you" we tend to get lax in appearance. This is how we go from a size 10 to a size 28. This is how we go from wearing designer clothes with all the matching shoes, purses and jewelry to just throwing on what fits and makes you feel comfortable. This is what happened to me.

Whenever I left the house I was always chic from head to toe. I was raised in Europe and outward appearance had more value placed on it than it should have. Whenever the latest boots hit the stores, I had them. When a designer coat came out on the runway, I had it. It was not because we tried to be someone that we were not. It was just because that is how things were. It was the norm.

I  moved back to the USA when I was a junior in HS. I arrived with silk pants, satin shirts and high heeled boots with spurs well before they ever became popular here in the states. All of my clothes were from Europe and you could tell just from looking at them. I turned heads wherever I went. My clothes and jewelry and just the way I carried myself seemed to cause a spectacle in the Texas town we lived in. I never even thought of changing to conform to the masses. I was me. This was how I dressed. I liked it and did not care one tiny bit what others thought about it.

I am still the same in many ways today. I do not care what others think of the way I dress. I dress for me and only me. But now comes the sad part....I had gotten to the point where I did not care how I looked anymore. I wear minimal make-up, hair in a pony tail most of the time, jeans and Doc Martin’s. When I have to dress up I get irritated since I do not want to wear heels, hose or fix my hair. What has happened to the girl who took pride in the way she looked and took the extra time to add that special touch to any outfit?

I'll tell you what happened! She got old, fat and too darn tired to care. She was so busy taking extra care that her family left the house looking like a million bucks. Everything is clean, ironed and stylish. They look wonderful and I stand beside them looking like a blob. The worst part is that I accepted this role without a fight.

One may ask what made me blog about this today. It is rather simple, really. I got up this morning and opened a drawer and saw this gorgeous turquoise and brown necklace. I put it on and looked at myself. I smiled. I then put on clothes to match that I have not worn in years. I then looked for shoes I had not yet worn this year to complete the outfit.  I even put on lip gloss before leaving the house. The one gesture of putting on this necklace is a significant step to finding my way back to "me". It is a turning point.

Whenever you see me about town and I have a pony tail and jeans and Doc Martin's, please forgive me. But I am hoping the next time you see me you will notice that I have a style again. You may not like my new style or you may think that I still have a lot of work to do but I say to you "I do not care if you like it and thanks for noticing!"

Now go put on a necklace that you have not worn in years and smile!