Good Afternoon Everyone,

I just read the best quote.  Ready?  "I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best."~
Oscar Wilde

I remember being criticized for being materialistic.  I didn't think that that was an accurate assessment of me, but I do like nice things.  I was confident in what I liked and disliked and could make decisions quickly.  I have always said that money was not my motivator.   Then someone said to me, it is not that you are materialistic, it is that you prefer to surround yourself with everything beautiful.  Now that was an assessment that I could agree with.  And beauty is in the eye of the beholder...~an English idiom.

As a 51 year old woman there are things that I learned about myself along the way.  I am wondering if you, too, wanted to know the answers to the following questions.  I am wondering if you have learned the answers to these questions.

 
Question one..... What colors look best on me.   I learned at the age of 30 that of all the colors of the seasons, I look best in the colors of Spring.  I am a Spring.  I went to Color Me Beautiful and they told me that with my light hair color, blue eyes and fair skin, that I would look elegant in ivory~head to toe ivory.  Blue green and salmon were other good choices.  Never to wear black/white or anything with cool undertones.  Warm, golden undertones are best and choose gold over silver when wearing jewelry.

 
Question two....  What style of clothing looks best on me.   I can't quite put this into words, I don't think, but I will try.  I prefer high heels, and dresses/skirts and I love to get dressed up wearing jackets and nice pants or nice jeans and boots as opposed to sneakers and sweat pants.  I love to feel feminine.  I prefer dressy casual, as opposed to very casual.

Question three....  What perfume smells the best on me.  I remember when I was a teenager.  I wore Halston perfume.  My Dad said, what is the name of the perfume you are wearing.  I said, Oh, It's Halston Daddy.  He looked at me and said, don't wear that again.  It does not smell good on you.   Wow.  Guess what, I trusted his judgement and never wore that again.   Years later, when he came to live with me, he used to tell me from time to time that I smelled good.  I have worn Tresor` by Lancome` for the past 18 years.  I can not tell  you the number of compliments that I have received, over the years.  Tresor` is my perfume.  I never wear anything else.  I sometimes forget and wear perfume to school.  I don't want to offend anyone I work with and I know that sometimes, people are sensitive to smells, namely my students.  It is funny though, because when I forget, and wear perfume, my students will say, Mrs. Keane you smell so good.  ( Smiling here.)   And one of the best compliments I ever received was from Veronica Hilferty when she was 7 years old.  She is 18 today.  She said, after giving me a hug, Mrs. Keane you always have the sweetest smell.   Oh my ....  brings tears to my eyes, eleven years later.   Wow! 

Question four....  What haircut is right for my face shape.  When I was first married I went to Bob's Hair Design in Philadelphia.  Bob always gave the best haircut.  However, as we had children and I wanted to stay home with them, my priorities changed and I found other hairdressers that were less expensive.  For the last 27 years, I have been searching for the best hair style for me!   I decided about a month ago, that I would go back to Bob's and tell him that I wanted the hair style that was right for me.  He remembered me.  I said, Bob, I want my hair to be healthy and to have body and I want to feel sexy with this hair style.  He smiled.  He said, OK....and guess what....I now have the right hair style for me.  I love it...I have called him twice to thank him for KNOWING and being able to CREATE his magic on me.   OH it is a wonderful feeling to know your hair style is right for you.

Question five.... What nail polish color is right for me.   This was a decision that I made years ago.  I learned that even though nail color is all about preference, everything is about preference.  My favorite is a french manicure.  I love the cleanliness and the manner in which it coordinates with all styles and colors of clothing.  I feel classy when my nails are painted with a french manicure.

I feel, that at this age, I have finally come to know who I am and like myself.  I am confident in how I think and behave and dress and conduct myself.  It has been a journey, an awakening.  I love being a woman and all that that entails.  Being confident in my femininity means that I am fearless to anything that comes my way.  It feels good to be 51 years old.  

Now if I can continue with my willpower and plan to lose weight in this year then I will feel like a  champion.  My doctor, Beth Du Pree has encouraged me to lose weight and for the last 3 weeks, I have been doing extremely well.  It is all about making conscious choices about what I put into my mouth.  Years ago, Jenny Craig had a slogan, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."   That mantra resonated with me then and it continues to do so today.    I keep thinking to myself, I will feel energized and free if I can just choose to make wise decisions one bite at a time.

So this year is once again full of challenges for me.  I love a challenge.  I am good at meeting my personal challenges.  I'll keep you posted on how I am progressing.  In the meantime...stay tuned!


And so, my wish for you this evening is that you are able to answer your own questions of the heart, whatever they may be.  Because what I have learned in these past few years, is the moral of the Wizard of Oz.  Everything you are seeking externally, you already possess internally.  You have everything you need in order to succeed in life.

En `Joy,

Marialyce