Dance 'till you're giddy!

What feels better than finishing a piece of writing that you've been agonizing over(After ice cream, of course)? Dancing. Any kind of dancing. Ballet, belly, hip-hop or just plain jumping around. Dancing is so liberating. Just throwing my arms out and twirling around acting goofy is enough to do the trick. Of course, your feet must be bare! You must be in a position t feel the energy coming up through your feet and slowly floating up, through your body. There is really nothing quite like it. But, wait until you put on the costume. Wowza! The silky feel against your body, the weight of the skirt as it twirls around your ankles and the shimmer of crystals and sequins. What was it Virginia Woolf said about a woman having a room of one's own? Yes, you can dance in it, too.

~ 'till next time ~ Dianne

Freed by the blouse!

Liberation came for me in the guise of a roomy, cream colored blouse with buttons made of a rich, honey-colored teak in varying sizes and shapes. It was an over-the-hips blouse with two-inch slits up the sides which allowed free movement across an ample backside. This blouse covered a multitude of sins and I was in my glory. Who would have thought that the big clothes I wore to hide in would one day be in style?

That was when I was a size 4.

Sick? Definitely. Cured? Oh yeah. Let me tell you, I have a million tricks on how to cover up.
That was then. I was trying to live up to someone else's idea of what "good" looked like. Who made up the rules, anyway? Thank God I came to my senses.

Actually, I got tired of waiting to live until I was thin, quite a concept, huh?

So, to anyone trying to live up to the image, don't bother because once you get there you'll realize it wasn't your body you didn't like...

Love yourself, you won't regret it.

Latah ~ Dianne

From these roots...

When I was a young girl my mother filled my life with books. I can't remember the name of my first set, but the stories taught me many of life's most important lessons; such as, the impact a smile can have on a lonely person and how not to"judge a book by its cover." When I got a little older, twelve, perhaps, she introduced me to the Trixie Belden series. I was hooked. I've started my collection again, and it's fun to re-read those great mysteries. I think I identified with Trixie because we were the same age, and we both had short, curly blond hair. I liked to think we were exactly alike! And so, another blond, curly haired 12 year old detective was born.

Once I had read and re-read my books, however, I needed more so I begged my mother to let me read her True Detective magazines. She relented. I couldn't get enough.

I began writing as a way to document my life, to see how far I've come, how much I've grown. Once I began writing stories it seemed someone always got killed. Hmm... my sister always told me I was harboring too much anger. What a great way to get it all out.

I'm learning every day, and loving every minute of it.

Latah ~ Dianne

Sparkles & Thighs!

As long as we don't hurt animals, children or the elderly, why can't we be just who we are? If we're okay with who we are, how much we weigh or how much money we have, why do we feel we have to be thinner, smarter, sexier or richer?

Instead of ads reading (Summer's coming, be sure your children are protected from the sun's harmful rays), I see, ( lose 5 pounds fast with this revolutionary new product; no exercise or dieting required ~ really). What's up with that?

Must a woman who has "paid her dues," so to speak, retreat from the shore because her body doesn't measure up to someone else's idea of what she should look like on the beach? If someone thinks sparkles are fabulous, shouldn't she feel free to wear them without the fear of being ridiculed? Sparkles are not my preference but I so admire anyone who wears them ~ just because.

Bottom line...live, love, be happy and generous of spirit and the world will be a better place.

As we say in Boston ~ latah sistah
...until next time

~ Dianne