Girl Talk

Have you ever though "What makes me feel like a girl"? Years ago, I develop a mantra to get me through the day. After some thought my mantra went like this: "get up, dress up and show up". Depending on the day all three were accomplished, some days only one, but my mantra got me through days I just wanted to say, "not doing it". When I retired and Covid was here, I added "go outside once a day" to this regime. At that time, I made a decision to wear earrings and put lipstick on every morning even in isolation. That would mean I was paying attention to myself, and most days it really classed up the pair of sweatpants I was wearing. At one time I did the entire makeup routine, eye shadow, mascara, blush and lipstick, but I was just going to keep it simple in my new life. I use Cover girl lipstick that I paint on, and it stays on for most of the day, no eating this stuff off. For a couple of years no one was aware I even had lipstick on because it was behind a mask. I lost earrings because they didn't work well with the mask, but they were on, at least one of them. I heard that the Queen would put her lipstick on at the table after a meal. She must have had the lipstick rule as well since she always looked like she had fresh lipstick on.

I am sure many of you are thinking "don't you do your hair?" I certainly do. I am not one of those people who can get up, comb their hair and away I go. No, no I am not that person. Bed head is the perfect word for my hair in the morning. I was told by a hairdresser that people with curly hair should set it free and allow it to be wild. Don't try to calm the curls but let them be. Of course, I grabbed onto that idea. My routine is to wash my hair, slap a bit of mousse on and when it is nearly dry use the blow dryer to finish it. I have to add, a good shampoo and conditioner makes a huge difference. I was having trouble with an itchy scalp and now I use Norwex with no issues. Also, a tip given to me was to only shampoo your hair a couple times a week. Use conditioner on other days. A hairdresser also told me that our health is indicated in the health of our hair. As I formed a new life, my hair got healthier and healthier. Simply put, why is hair falling out a symptom of thyroid issues. We make a big deal out of hair. I think about losing my hair and I know I would be okay with it, but I like me with hair. I have had many a conversation with people that know they are going to lose their hair or have lost it because of chemo treatments. Their comments are similar to "I have bigger things to worry about than having hair". You betcha you do girl, it's just hair. Oddly, when their hair comes back many say it is a different color, texture and often curly. Just like starting over with baby fine hair. Do what ever you need to do with your hair to make you feel girly good. I have heard stories of how women that let their hair go back to its natural color describe it as "freeing and cheaper". I never was one of those women that dyed all of my hair one color. I did do highlights for many years but a few years ago I went dye free for more hair freedom. What I found was that initially I missed the dye because it gave my hair body but soon it was back to normal. I agree freeing and cheaper.

Feeling good in your clothes is harder on some days than others. I heard years ago that it does not matter what size you are, you can wear anything as long as the clothes fit properly. Wear whatever color you want, stripes or flowers, just make sure it fits you. Clearly, that was before Lu Lu Lemon pants hit the market. Those suckers are now not only active wear but dress pants and work pants. I wear a "firma" which is a under garment that smooths my bulges. I might add, it certainly has it work cut out for it. I feel like a girl when I wear it and in more control of my body. This little garment also keeps my bra straps up. Nothing is more frustrating than having bra straps drooping. A good bra is the best investment that any girl can make. Granted some bras are just as much as a car payment but they do certainly last. Another discovery I wish I had known long ago is the use of nipple guards. Those little pieces of fabric allow a woman to wear any type of fabric in any weather if you know what I mean.

Have you ever asked yourself "why is black hair growing in places it is not supposed to grow". Particularly your face. It not only is in a place it isn't supposed to be, but it grows like crazy. One day not even there and then an inch long the next. A friend once told me that she wished getting ready for the day didn't include checking her chin for hair. I am sure many of you reading this know exactly where your tweezers are and maybe have several sets of them. I have to say another of my feel like a girl decision was to embrace waxing and electrolysis. I even have a waxing machine actually on my second one. One good thing about Covid was wearing mask, masked this issue.

Jewlery. What can I say other than when I worked it was such a big part of my look. I could put on earrings, necklace, watch and matching bracelet in a few seconds. Some days it was a scarf but always something. I didn't feel dressed until I had my jewelry on. I had to scale that down when I was working wards. It simply meant that I had many different colors of watches. Pins for my jacket and matching earrings to the uniform color. Since I have retired the whole jewelry extravaganza has changed. Except for earrings of course.

We are women but deep inside us is still a little girl. Little girls like to dress up. When they do that, they immediately feel pretty and twirl around. I hope that you have at least one thing that makes you want to twirl. Take time to be a little girl again.