Why the dangling earrings?

I've been having quite a few flashbacks lately of my life as a young girl. I was pretty Tom-boyish. I rarely ever wore dresses and when I did, I felt extremely uncomfortable. I still do. Shorts and t-shirts were the only articles of clothing in my dresser and then in college, I switched to t-shirts and jeans.



So I happened to be shopping a few days ago at Pier 1 Imports and a cute pair of dangling, large, floral earrings caught my eye. I didn't even hesitate to try them on. I just bought them. I wanted them so badly. It was a purchase I would have never made 5 years ago due to their "obnoxiousness".

I put them on today and I asked myself, "Why the dangling earrings now? Why not 10 years ago?" I am sure that there is a deep psychological reason as to "why" but I'm not really a deep thinker. I just reminded myself of my uncomfortable past of being a girl in a world that I was not ready to be feminine in yet.

A friend of mine told me once that your "30's" are the most difficult time of your life. Not that the "20's" were a breeze or that the "40's" are gonna be a party, it seems like your "30's" are a time in most people's lives when we are expected to show some kind of maturity. We have spouses and relationships that we need to nurture more than ever. We have kids that are being raised into teen-agers. There are household budgets and retirement packages that we need to adjust and plan around. Our bodies have stopped maturing and now we need to maintain, or firm up. Some of us look for meaningful friendships that bring us support more than just drama.

My "30's" have been all of the above for me, but they have also brought me some unexpected joy. I have finally felt confident about my body and being a woman. I don't need to hide behind baggy clothing. I don't need to pull my hair back into a ponytail every day. I have embraced the beauty that comes with curves of hips and curls in my hair. I paint my toe nails because it is much prettier than them being "naked". I try the make-up, and usually fail....but I'm ok with that. My favorite thing to do now is to wear a bow or flowers in my hair. If you see me with them, it has probably been a good day. I guess I missed out when I was a little girl. I love feeling feminine!

One of the most wonderful feelings in the world is when I do put on a dress. It drives my husband wild because he married me as a Tom-boy. He is always the first one to give me a "Wow!" reaction and I always love that feeling. I am so glad that my time to be feminine came to me in my late 20's and early 30's. I appreciate it so much more, I think. So, YES! the dangling earrings are a must-have. They tell a story. They shine and shimmer as they whisper to all that I have embraced the wonderful feeling of femininity.

BTW. I will always hold the crown for the biggest, loudest burp in my household. Somethings I just cannot part with on my journey to becoming more feminine.

Pure Genius!

Did I cheat the system and not realize it? As I was fulfilling my New Year's resolution of "not smelling" by taking my daily shower, I kept recalling a conversation that I had earlier this morning with my good friend and supporter of my wittiness, Marcy. Somehow we got onto a discussion about the library which led to me confessing that I did all of my high school, college, and graduate school research in the juvenile section of the library. I received multiple diplomas and credentials based upon various picture and cartoon books.

I get out of the shower and I am still thinking about how I got away with it. So....in researching for this blog, I go to my most-trusted source, my 5 year-old's library. I pick out my book of choice and begin to contemplate.

Exibit A (referenced from a mature source):

shark World Encyclopedia | 1980 | © World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005.

Torpedo-shaped, cartilaginous fish found in subpolar to tropical marine waters. They have well-developed jaws, bony teeth, usually five gill slits on each side of the head, and a characteristic, lobe-shaped tail with a longer top lobe. Sharks are carnivorous, and at least ten species are known to attack humans. There are c.250 living species.

Exhibit B (juvenile source):

Berger, Melvin. Chomp! A Book About Sharks. Scholastic Inc. 1999.

Sharks are fish. Most are large. They have huge appetites. And they're almost always hunting for something to eat...Sharks use their fins to swim. The big tail fin swings from side to side. The tail pushes against the water. It moves the shark forward. The other fins keep the shark steady in the water.

Conclusion: It is obvious that more facts in fewer words come from Exhibit B. And, Hey Now!, "cartilaginous".... that sounds a lot like a "Bush-ism". What kind of normal human being would use the word "cartilaginous" in their writing? Maybe those that want to set off the red alert for plagiarism. Exhibit A most traditionally comes from a book that has only 1 picture for the entire entry. I don't know about you, but I prefer a myriad of pictures just in case I need to sketch a picture or two for the front cover of my report. I always "Wow!-ed" them with my random artwork mixed in between the pages of my blood-sweat-and-tears research. (I once stuck a random picture of my first-born son into a research paper for a psychology class and got an A+).

I don't ever hesitate to swing a left at the fish tank just to find a book for my boys' projects. They say that the Huntington Beach Public Library has the largest juvenile section of any library west of the Mississippi. I always find happy, brightly-colored books with lots of pictures to greet me. The only downside is that you can only check out 2 per call number. DARN YOU DEWEY DECIMAL SYSTEM! (said with no offense to my mom and brother-in-law....Go library science!)

I am not sure yet, if I will pass this knowledge on to the next generation. Marcy and I got a laugh imagining what a graduate professor would say if they read a bibliography that had a title with an obvious give-away like "Chomp! A Book About Sharks".

Pure genius or just laziness.....smart people, don't answer that.