This post is in memory of my neighbor E. who passed away several years ago. It is a brief story about what she did everyday. I was laughing when I first heard this, but then I got to thinking.
Today’s “trick” is
Wear
A Small Habit
The neighbor lady next door passed away several years ago. When we moved in she brought over an African Violet as a housewarming present and it took me several years to kill it. She loved hearing the stories about Rommie and the different golden retrievers we fostered.
When she passed I heard a story about how she would never go out to get the mail without first putting on her lipstick. Even though all she was doing was going to and from the mailbox, she had to be wearing some in case she saw a neighbor out and stopped to talk to her.
Maybe She Had The Right Idea
I got to thinking, what if we did gussy up a little more every day? What if instead of wearing sweats to the drugstore, we wore jeans. Instead of wearing jeans to the grocery store, we wore dress slacks? What if we always made sure to have lipgloss or lipstick on when we went to get the mail or run an errand? Would we feel a little better about ourselves even if we were grieving?
Just a little food for thought this beautiful Sunday.
Quote Meditation
I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and… I believe in miracles.
Audrey Hepburn
Michele Kearns is the founder and HUG© (Hope Unites Globally) Award-Winner of JoyReturns.com. She encourages widows and educates society about grief and life as a widow by sharing her widowhood adventures. A graduate of Kent State University with a degree in communications, she has used her skills in the banking, collections, outdoor products and social media industries. Michele is a bookworm, lover of golden retrievers and an amateur photographer. You can see more of her photography at OgleOhio.com, where she is running the series 31 Days of Autumn in Ohio – because running a 31 Day series on one blog is not enough insanity.
JoyReturns 
The “Lipstick Effect” has been the subject of serious study. Marketers call it a cheap indulgence to cheer oneself up during hard economic times. Cosmetic sales actually rose during the Great Depression and the recent Great Recession. Psychologists call it female mating behavior – when the perceived availability of suitable mates is low, women concentrate more on their appearance. So it’s mascara and lip gloss for me… plus the hope that men my age don’t see so well anymore 🙂
Thank you for your last line. I need the laugh. I am sure men your age are able to see your beauty, both inside and out.