The Color Purple

I Shall Wear Purple
By Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.


You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple


I love this poem. By all means, when I'm older I will be a member of the Red Hat Society. If ya haven't noticed, I'm a little flighty and not all there at times. I love life and have the best friends in the entire world. We call ourselves the Ya-Ya's. It all started years ago when we rented a hotel room, burned candles, and crowned ourselves at the initiation ceremony. I will forever be Princess Daisy of O'Ryan. And, the sad thing is, none of that is a joke.

Today I went to the dermatologist to cash in some flexible spending dollars on some new skin care. Sneaky, sneaky.:) I'm finding more and more gray hairs each and every day. Let me just say, it sucks to age and to get older.

I worked out with Justin today, and we've learned that we're going to be a part of a National Convention for Fitness Bloggers in March... Who would have ever thought? When I started complaining about running on the treadmill (some things never change), he reminded me of the convention. He told me they are going to announce me by having my Before picture blown up... and then another Before picture because I haven't made enough changes. Nice. It got me thinking. I need to get on it. I am in a position right now to make a difference, not only in myself but in others! How exciting is that!?!

As flighty and carefree as I may be, people don’t know how much my weight affects me. In reality, I let my weight gain hold me back and control a lot of my life. There's not an hour that goes by that I'm not thinking about how things would be better if I was skinnier. I'm so sick of putting off a family picture because of how I look. I'm sick of wearing Old Navy and complete mom clothes to hide my rolls. I can't change the fact that I'm aging... but I've learned that I CAN change my body!

I went to Kohl's today and tried on clothes. I was amazed at how much better I look in things. Justin- There will be an after picture. Eat your heart out, Buddy. HA! Sometimes instead of looking at all the negative things about my body, I need to remind myself that this is about progress and how far I’ve come.

Purple isn't my color, but so what? If I keep working out, there's a slight chance I'll still look good wearing it... even if I am old. And the important thing is- I won't have any regrets!:)

From this day forward, I shall wear purple.