Why It's Hats Off To The Mature Woman!

I don’t remember running into BBC Woman’s Hour psychologist Susan Quilliam when I stepped onto the Florida beach in my animal print swim top and black skirted bottom. But then, it was hard to see anything from under my wide-brimmed straw hat.

Apparently though, she saw me. Or a reasonable facsimile. I’m basing this on her recent quote in the Daily Mail: “While mature women may effortlessly balance work and family life for 50 weeks of the year, when it comes to holidays even the most self-aware women may find their confidence slipping.”

Come to think of it, maybe she was that bikini-clad number who glared at me as she executed a grand jeté across my flamingo beach towel, finishing with an arabesque as she caught a Frisbee with her buttocks. Or perhaps the young woman sunbathing on her tummy, topless, her “lungs” apparently filled to overflowing with salt-sea air.

Anyway, Ms. Quilliam further implied that boosting the mature woman’s self-confidence on vacation is paramount. And as any mature woman knows there’s but one way to attain a goal as critical as that. It requires a plethora of…clothes, accessories and shoes.

The fact is, those items are so paramount, studies have been conducted. Online retailer isme.com discovered that over half of 50-something women pack, per trip, up to 10 individual outfits. Nearly 100% of those women then stuff their suitcase with 5 pairs of shoes. Add to that 5 handbags (the average most women claim to take on vacation), and you have the making of a stylish, senior sightseer.

Now this next part is just crazy if you ask me. Sixty-five percent of these women, at the end of their holiday, wore half of what they’d packed. What diligence it takes to return home with as little dirty laundry as that. And yet others described that as excessive packing!

Seriously, how’s a woman in her prime to feel good about herself labeled as an “overpacker”? Why, it’s enough to justify her “accidently” mistaking someone’s swim top for a bookmark or stretching her legs at the most inopportune time.

It is, after all, so hard to see anything from under those darn big hats.

~ Diana Black

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Why It's Matt & Me 4-ever!

He’s tall, dark and …100% rubber.

Yes, I’m talking about my yoga mat, Matt.

It was love at first plank. And trust me, I’ve been through one or three “Matts” in my day, so I know what I’m talking about.

Naturally, at first I was leery, fearing yet another mat would dump me. After all, the number of failed moon salutations over the years was astronomical. And downward-facing dogs? They were never a “pawsitive” experience with those other mats. So, no, not this girl’s best friend.

Then along came Matt.

I’d heard Matt could handle a really hot woman. It’s true. Perspiration is no sweat. Matt lays there almost begging “Bring it on!” Another positive, going longer than 20 minutes is no problem for Matt, which is good as the classes I attend are generally over an hour.

But, you ask, you’re over 50, don’t you worry Matt will leave you for a younger “yogini”? Sometimes. So, here you have it. When we’re not together, I tie Matt up. I use my yoga strap so it looks innocent enough, like you know, I’m just trying to be neat and keep my yoga gear in order.

So far Matt hasn’t complained. That’s right, Matt has no opinion…and could care less about the TV remote.

-- Diana Black

Now a Blog Circle Member! Read it at Vibrant Nation!

Why Not Jump?

I love yoga. Love LOVE LOVE it! (did I mention I'm kinda crazy about it?)

Partially because every time I go to the mat, I discover something new... about the practice and myself. This week, it was forearm stand.

No, the picture isn't me...for lots of reasons! One being if it were, there would be a yoga friend, Sheri, holding my right leg so that I would not fall. (Thank you, Sheri, for giving me the courage!)

So here I am, nearing a birthday that I'm sure the numbers got reversed somehow (yeah, that's about right...36...that's how old I feel...most days!) and tackling something like nearly standing on my head. (actually that's one of ultimate yoga goals.)

Now, I'm finally getting to the point of all this. Lately I've been letting myself jump from one creative project to another. Allowing myself to jump from this activity to that activity. From one book to another (before reading "The End.")

WHY? It makes me feel alive. It keeps me MOVING! (Used to be I was afraid that if I did not stay on one thing until it was completed, I would never finish it. And that would show lack of committment and ownership.) But what I've learned instead is this: If there is something my heart aches to do (okay, let's assume it's within the "cause no harm" category!) in any given moment, and I deny it...that moment is dead.

May every moment we are priviledged to live, be alive.

Jump to it!

--Diana

Why a Pulitzer May Not Be The Real Prize

Listening to NPR recently, I heard a conversation with Studs Terkel. Agreed, you’d have heard news of the interview before now if it had been live. It was actually held a short time before his death in 2008.

For the better part of the discussion, Terkel’s signature voice maintained its gruffness and enthusiasm. Thinking back, it must have been the change in tone that caught my attention—I was after all listening and trying to be a conscientious driver! Though I can’t recall if his manner of speech shifted in response to a particular question, it seemed to result from a natural progression of his thoughts.

It also appeared he was hearing his thoughts for the first time along with everyone else.

Studs Terkel—author, actor, historian, broadcaster and Pulitzer Prize winner—questioned (forgive me for paraphrasing) if he’d been a success at the things that really mattered, had he done the right things and always been a good person.

The interviewer, apparently overcome with a self-imposed need to ease Terkel’s internal dilemma, quickly interrupted with reassurances that he was human.

The ninety-six year-old remained in that soft-spoken place, saying he’d used that excuse all this life.

Terkel sharing his inner-most thoughts at the end of his life, yet another reminder: If, on our deathbed, we have regrets, none will be that we’d spent more time on the job.

Why, I ask you, is it so hard for some of us to remember that?

Oh, right. We’re human. --Diana

www.DianaBlack.net

Why Re-read "The Catcher in the Rye"

We all recently bid a sad, final farewell to one of our great writers. Here's my small tribute to Mr. Salinger:

I devoured J.D. Salinger’s first-person narrative “The Catcher in the Rye” when I was about my granddaughter’s age. My daughter read it when she too was around 15 or 16. A great age to be introduced to that icon of teenage rebellion, Holden Caulfield, while also experiencing a master writer’s creative style.

My granddaughter's reading of the 1951 novel inspired her mother to give it re-read. My daughter told me how she not only gained a new appreciation for the book, but it also created an opportunity to discuss its topics with her teenager.

So nothing would do but that I trek to the library and check out one of the worn copies lining the shelf, the one with the least amount of tape holding it together.

What a treat! How wonderfully the book has aged. It is truly timeless. The characters, the dialogue, the issues as relevant today as they were when the book was first published.

And the joy didn’t stop there. Re-reading that book at this point in life has manifested benefits in other ways:
• I appreciate that my granddaughter, my daughter and I shared the experience.
• I know I am still basically that same girl who first read those pages.
• I am grateful to authors who write books worth reading again and again.
• I am reminded that as we mature, we gain new insight and perspective.

Perhaps some books should be re-read every decade. Interestingly enough, I read that a number of people feel guilty reading a book a second time. A waste time. They believe one should always be reading something new. Exploring the unknown!

I would argue I explored the unknown. I’d never read “The Catcher in the Rye” with +2.50 readers. I’d never read the classic after becoming a mother or being divorced or losing both of my parents.

And a waste of time? Did I mention the discussion with my “girls”?

So, if anyone thinks re-reading a book is frittering away precious hours, well, perhaps they should give me back my hunting hat.

--Diana

www.DianaBlack.net

www.WoofersClub.blogspot.com

Take WHY? for an answer?

So tell me, do you get upset when someone answers your question with a question?

What do I mean? you ask.

See, right there! So was that second question asked because clarification is warranted? Or rather to ignore the first question?

The first question asked for a simple yes or no response. Or at least a declarative sentence!

Well, I guess if you've read this far, it's no secret how I feel about questions answered with questions.

But then, I just asked myself, do I do that?

The answer came at lightning speed.

Why, would it upset me if I did?

-- Diana "WhY me?" Black

www.DianaBlack.net

Why Follow This Blog Tour?

Cuz you might could get some FREE stuff!

As two WOOFers (Women Only Over Fifty), Mary Cunningham and I are on a blog tour for the next couple of weeks. We're celebrating the release of "Accentuate The Pawsitive," a guide to realigning your body, mind and soul.

"Mind spinning? Mood Swinging? Middle sagging? Get used to it! When you reach 50, shift happens. But, you're not alone. WOOFers to the rescue!"

Follow us on tour, make a comment on the various blog stops to enter a contest for a free download of "Accentuate The Pawsitive!"
DEC 24 - Dames of Dialogue Interview - Woofers who Accentuate the Pawsitive

DEC 30 - Dames of Dialogue Interview - WOOFer, Mary answers the Dames Dozen

JAN 4 - Doing It With Grace Blog - Chocolate - 'Nuff Said!

JAN 5 - A Woman's Life In Stages - Downward Facing Dog

JAN 6 - Mysteries & Chitchat - Fashion Fits or Flops

JAN 8 - The Stiletto Gang - Boning Up On Books

JAN 11 - Blog: A Working Writer - Animal Rescue: Mission For Mutts

JAN 12 - Virtual Wordsmith - Myths About Menopaws

Jan 13 - Blog Talk Radio - Mary Eileen Williams, Feisty Side of Fifty

Join us! and find out how to get your copy of "Accentuate The Pawsitive!"

Like to laugh? You'll discover more funny women stories,

limericks and poems when you...
BUY WOOF!

Echelon Press

Why Some Ya Win and Some Ya...

It happens. Like it or not, sometimes we just don't win. We can even be number one in our field and still not win every time.

Take Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. Most consider them the top in their game...tops of all-time.

Still earlier this year Woods didn't even make the cut for the British Open. And just last Monday Federer lost the US Open after claiming the World Grand Slam in tennis a few months before.

It was hard for me to watch Federer walk off the court a "loser." But then I remembered something.

I remembered why we can't or shouldn't even want to ALWAYS win. Without loss as comparison, we would forget how sweet it is, the taste of victory.

So maybe at the end of the day, it is about whether we win or lose...Just not for the reasons we thought.

--Diana

http://www.dianablack.net/

Why Swings Should All Be Red

You'll see it on the left, driving out of Apalachicola, Florida, going west. You'll also see a "Do Not Swing" sign nearby. That's okay. Don't blame the owners one bit. One thing would lead to another, and then another...Soon it would not be a place for respite.

But nowhere is there a sign posted "No Pictures." So snap. This is now one of my pleasures.

I imagine swinging, pushing with my feet, getting sand between my toes, the salty, humid air frizzing my hair. Perhaps a gentle creak of the swing chain, back and forth, back and forth.

The heart rate lowers just thinking about it. Back and forth. Back and forth.

That's why I think swings should be red. To signify the benefits of the heart. And when our hearts are in rhythm, the rest of us just naturally follows.

Be good to your heart today. And please, feel free to use my swing.

Diana
DianaBlack.net
Woofers Club

Why You Smilin'?

What makes you smile?

Food?

Friends?

Fun?

What about doing something nice for someone?

Heard Garrison Keillor say that what makes our

country great is not its angry people.

It's the kind people.

Guess that could be said of any nation.

So, at the end of the day, what makes you happy?

Why Knot?

June's quickly drawing to a close. The month everyone rhymes with moon. And the month when a lot of couples tie the knot.

My parents did. June 9, 1940.

A close friend married just a couple weeks ago. June 14th.

So why do we do it? Tie the knot that is. Living together is no longer, in most people's minds, a "sin."

So why make that life-long committment to another person? Why fight for the right to do so regardless of gender?

Oh, the picture? You'll have to guess if it's my friend or Charles & Mary Elizabeth Richert!

-- Diana

Why You're Off The Hook...

Okay, I get these daily email affirmations...every day...like every 24 hours...and there was this one that really blew me away.

It said...

"My happiness depends on me, so you're off the hook."

Now aren't you glad you stopped by the blog today? Puts things in a whole new perspective, doesn't it?

I can no longer blame anyone else for my mood, behavior, actions...anything!

It's totally up to me how I react to anything...

And guess what? I'm choosing to reactive very positively to this news! Not because of you...Though I still do appreciate everything you do that is good and kind...

My happiness doesn't depend on you doing something good and kind.

Just wanted you to know.

See Why!

And you wonder WHY I'm the way I am!

In honor of Mother's Day, meet three of my amazing "Mothers."

Since they are no longer here for me to share the day,

I wanted to share them with you...

Top: My maternal grandmother,

Lulu Pearl Lord, (far right) clowning with friends.

(At least she wasn't smoking a corncob pipe like HER mother!)

Bottom left: My mother, Mary Elizabeth Richert,

"opening" a Christmas present!

Bottom right: My mother-in-law Louisa "Fern" Boley.

This was the most tame picture I could find!

Thank you, ladies. You changed my life, and I'll always love you...

Diana

Why I'm Woozy!

Ever wonder what poets do in their spare time? Did you ever picture THIS?!?!?

No, me either...and I'm getting a little woozy just looking at the photo...

But a lot inspired...

Linda Rogers, Victoria (BC) Poet Laureate, is a force of creativity and a tireless fighter for truth and justice on behalf of children the world over. Please take a moment to read her personal interview on the WOOFersClub blog...Then check out her website.

You'll discover WHY this neighbor to our north is ... on Top of the World!

--Diana

Why would a mother drive off?

We all know the story. The mother in White Plains, NY, sick to death of hearing her 10- and 12-year-old daughters fight, stops the car. Orders them out.

Drives off.

As much as all three may wish it so, there's no "do over." No rewind button or delete key when something like this makes national news. Time to accept and move on...but this time together.

Here's what I hope for them: taht the mother finds safer ways to relieve stress; that the young sisters appreciate each other a whole lot more; and that their entire family experiences a deeper and more meaningful relationship.

We all get pushed to the max. And every situation is different...even if all the components appear to be the same, nothing is ever exactly alike.

So trying to figure out what the mother should or should not have done is a non-issue for me.

Looking inside myself and asking hard questions, that's my job right now...

But still, when you think about it, at the end of the day, aren't we all just a heartbeat away from having to ask ourselves ...Why did I do that?

--Diana

Why, WOOFie Sue, why...

Why 15?

15 women ran

Fortune 500

companies in

2008.

Does that shock you?

Did you think there were more or less?

Would you feel better if more women were running Fortune 500 companies?

Would the USA and/or the world be in better financial shape if more than 15 women held top corporate positions?

When is it you predict women will outnumber men running major companies?

WHY do you think it will or won't be in our lifetimes?

While you're thinking...check out Wendel Wordsworth here!

Why...You look so tired!

ACK! Will you tell me WHY anyone would say that to someone?!?!

Julia Roberts commented in an article that that is, in her opinion, the second worse thing anyone can say to a woman. (The first being, of course, the question, "Oh, when is your baby due?" Someone asked her that while she was standing there holding the child on her hip!)

I agree the tired comment is way out of line. Ask if I've gained a few pounds. (Which of course I'll deny and make the excuse it's the clothes I'm wearing that makes me look fat...Yeah, whatever.)

Ask me when was the last time I colored my hair. (I'll say, Funny you should mention it because I have an appointment in an hour -- Then I can run for the phone to schedule one with my hairdresser!)

But don't ask me why I look so tired. That stops most women in their tracks. Because that implies we have not hidden the fact we are so damn tired we can't see straight!

And that's our own fault... Because we're not taking better care of our own precious selves.

So, at the end of the day, WHY aren't we? Taking better care of ourselves, I mean?

WHY-hoo!

Why Would You Shop Anywhere Else?

Have I got a deal for you! Okay, technically, I don't have the deal, my publisher does...But either way, read this...

"If you spend $10.00 on a paperback from Echelon Press, I'll send you a FREE PDF download of your choice. Any PDF book from Echelon. That is two books for the price of one. What a deal! This offer is good on orders placed before midnight March 20, 2009. I'm telling you, order ANY paperback from Echelon Press and choose any PDF download for FREE."

Naturally, I'm little partial to MY book-WOOF: Women Only Over Fifty! But, hey, truth is, there are other great books on Echelon's shelves, and I would encourage you to check 'em out. Their line of children's books is one of the best. That's under their Quake division.

Oh, no need to thank me for the heads up...Thank Echelon Press for understanding how important it is for buyers to stimulate the economy and retailers to do all they can to help people spend smart.