Monday, December 26, 2011

For all the ladies, as we begin a new year...

As I sit here, the day after a wonderful Christmas, listening to all of the New Year’s commercials selling the message to all women that we need to lose weight or change our hair or invest a small fortune to hide all signs of aging (because, apparently, getting older is a BAD thing – I personally feel lucky for every minute I get!) or use products that will grow our wimpy eyelashes or grow our wimpy fingernails or get rid of our cellulite or hide our spider veins and then turn us into super women who can bring home the bacon, raise perfect children without ever resorting to putting them in front of the T.V. once in a while (where my kids are right now, as a matter of fact), make a nutritious, well-balanced dinner every night (not to mention breakfast and lunches) and be ready to leap enthusiastically into bed with our partners at a moment’s notice (without first needing a glass of wine or even a full night’s sleep)... I am reminded of all the wonderful women I have been lucky enough to know...
Women who occasionally feed their kids oatmeal for dinner, just ‘cuz they’re too dog-tired to whip up a balanced meal after working all day... Women who sometimes slip between the sheets at 8:30 pm, wearing comfy sweatpants, not silky lingerie, without (gasp!) washing off their make-up and applying wrinkle-reducing night cream first... Women who hang onto their clothes that are one size up, so they can be comfortable after a holiday spent indulging in every delicious food or drink they desire, rather than denying themselves and starving themselves to fit some advertiser’s definition of “beauty”...Women who are ballsy enough to say what’s on their mind and to stand up for what’s right, even if it’s not the most “feminine” thing to do...Women who have faced incredible challenges and losses in their lives with humor and chutzpah...Women who get up every day and get on with the business of living and working and caring for the people they love, even when they’d rather hide under the covers...Women who have made me laugh, made me cry, debated me, supported me, inspired me to appreciate my life with all of its hurdles and rewards, and women who care about me enough to always tell me when I have broccoli in my teeth.
Imperfectly perfect women!

Thanks for all the richness you have added to my life. You are beautiful, worthy, hilarious, stubborn, gifted, and unbelievably strong. Wishing you a happy, healthy, peaceful New Year!!!

2012...here we come!
Cheers!
Love,
        Beth

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