Women Over 40

Thanks to Inspiring Girl Amanda for sharing this. Cheers to us!

From the blog Divine Caroline: Life in Your Words

Andy Rooney on Women Over Forty

By: Veronica Kavanagh (View Profile)

Andy Rooney says:

As I grow in age, I value women who are over forty most of all. Here are just a few reasons why: A woman over forty will never wake you in the middle of the night to ask, “What are you thinking?” She doesn’t care what you think.

If a woman over forty doesn’t want to watch the game, she doesn’t sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do. And, it’s usually something more interesting.

A woman over forty knows herself well enough to be assured in who she is, what she is, what she wants and from whom. Few women past the age of forty give a hoot what you might think about her or what she’s doing.

Women over forty are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won’t hesitate to shoot you, if they think they can get away with it.

Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it’s like to be unappreciated.

A woman over forty has the self-assurance to introduce you to her women friends. A younger woman with a man will often ignore even her best friend because she doesn’t trust the guy with other women. Women over forty couldn’t care less if you’re attracted to her friends because she knows her friends won’t betray her.

Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over forty. They always know.

A woman over forty looks good wearing bright red lipstick. This is not true of younger women. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over forty is far sexier than her younger counterpart.

Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off if you are a jerk, if you are acting like one! You don’t ever have to wonder where you stand with her.

Yes, we praise women over forty for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it’s not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed hot woman of forty-plus, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some twenty-two-year-old waitress.

Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free,” here’s an update for you. Now 80 percent of women are against marriage, why? Because women realize it’s not worth buying an entire pig, just to get a little sausage.

First published September 2007

Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22323/34969-andy-rooney-forty#ixzz1dVI8e7pJ

New Light

“Love of beauty is Taste. Creation of beauty is Art.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

To the artist in each of us. My journey continues. May the new moon help you create more beauty in your life as well.

Sugar

OK. So: Luji’s scootin’ around inspired us to expand our family’s adventurous 2011 transition to include a shift from our practical much-loved-and-good-looking-but-disappointing-gas-mileage, been-a-good-family-car-but-just-doesn’t-inspire-us-anymore Subaru Forester XT for a…(drum roll please)...Chili Pepper Red Mini Cooper Clubman.

Oh yeah.

Cruising through the Utah mountains, enjoying the beautiful fall colors and just hanging out as a family is the kind of stuff that gets to me. This car is the perfect symbol of our fun, adventurous spirit and a fantastic way to embrace it every day. Just walking up to our little red manx makes me smile. Watching Luji climb in through the side door makes me smile wider. So Cool.

From her first day with us, Sugar (as we have affectionately named our peppy little party girl) has given our family this delightful gift of shared time to just be. It is simply delightful.

What little gift do you have hanging around that can add a little delight to your every day?

Natural Habits

I love change!

It’s true. I love it. In fact, I thrive on it. I seem to always have about 20 ideas floating around in my head, five or six of which are getting intense amounts of energy at any given time, helping me move towards those things that bring me true, soulful joy. Most never get past the idea phase, some make it to the pilot phase, and a select few become reality. It is exciting! Interesting! And challenging.

Finding the time to actually build multiple ideas at once, while being a great mom, wife, friend, professionally successful, and still taking care of myself is hard. We all know what it's like. So, like most of us, what suffers the most for me? Yep. You got it…my fitness. And especially now, with all the other amazing changes currently going on in my life, I know I need to shift my focus and once again make physical fitness a part of my natural daily routine.

Easier said than done.

Fresh baked bread, French pastries, the darkest chocolate, and red wine hold spots on my "makes life worth living" list. Physical exercise – just for the love of doing it – is on that list too, but has slipped from my foundational ‘must haves’ in my day-to-day existence. This is no longer OK. I want an active lifestyle where physical exercise happens naturally, because I love it. It simply must become as much a part of my being as parenthood or friendship. I’ve had it in the past, and I want it back.

Easier said than done.

Lucky for me, I have my Inspiring Girls: Luji, Amy, Mo, Shelly and Missy, to help me focus on giving myself this gift by reminding me what's best for me, everyday. Amy recently hiked to a mountain peak and we already know the inspiration Luji shares as she scoots around the house. These are the things that help me remember why physical activity can no longer be something I might not get done in a day: I want to be around for a LONG time to love my family and friends, share their experiences, see Luji grow into a loving mother and happy, beautiful, successful woman. And I want for her a lifestyle of healthy eating and a natural love of physical activity of all kinds, formed by experiences we share as our family matures. And I know, as her mom, it starts with me.

So, a toast (with Veuve, of course!) to making physical activity a natural part of our day – for ourselves and for those we love. It’s the kind of shift that may require laser focus in the beginning, one that I am 100% ready to take on. A stepping stone on my path to soulful joy. Won’t you come along?

PS: Thanks for the inspiration. I’m off to yoga!

Scootin' Around

How would it be to scoot around the house on one of those little three-wheeled Razor scooters? For the last two weeks, my darling four-year-old daughter has been cruising around our place on one: from the bedroom to the family room to the kitchen and back again. She carefully positions her little lovey (a much-hugged Beanie Baby koala bear) on the back of the footboard, pushes herself into the room of choice, parks the scooter just right "in the driveway" - along the wall or in the corner – and goes about her business. She even rides it from one side of the room to the other when it strikes her fancy – just because she can.

I think I want one.

As typically happens when I observe my girl, I find I want to be more like her. She inspires me daily to spend more time in the moment. So in the moment that I invent a way to make something as mundane as moving from one room to another so much fun! To feel the breeze in my hair as I zip down the hall or the satisfaction of maneuvering my ride out of a tight space by turning on a dime after I’ve brushed my teeth in the morning. Ah! The freedom! The exhilaration! The laughter! The pure joy of riding with my best pal to put my PJs on at night.

I definitely want one.

Welcome to the Inspiring Girls Experience!

Welcome to the Inspiring Girls Experience! Dedicated to Inspiring Girls everywhere.

Girls. Chicks. Women. Females. Dames. Divas. Whatever the moniker, the most amazing women I know approach their lives with two shared themes - a deep desire for personal and professional growth and a commitment to creating a full and beautiful life. And, oh, the power we possess! Deep down, we each know that if we stay true to ourselves and to what is most important for us, we will have it all - on our terms. If you've spent even an hour with an inspiring female of any age, and you know exactly the power I am referring to.

The seed for IGE was planted over a glass of wine with a girlfriend. We were brainstorming about a business idea while my then two-year-old daughter (and the most inspiring girl I know) played nearby. Our conversation turned to how women naturally tend to weave their personal and professional lives together (for me it was happening at that moment!), wearing many hats and doing many 'jobs,' and trying to balance it all to create their definition of a beautiful life. Yet with all these things going on, we too often do not take time to sit down in a relaxing place, share a piece of ourselves, and connect with other women. Ultimately, my girlfriend suggested I do something about it: specifically (as she put it), I could combine my talent for bringing people together with my gift for sharing and encouraging others to share personal insights and wisdom. Huh. It felt right. So I let her suggestion marinate for a while and really searched my heart. Huh. It still felt right. Then I realized that during the seasoning process, I had in fact become passionate about creating a culture of inspiration and fun, a “place” where amazing women reconnect with the girl inside, where we dream and laugh, share pieces of ourselves, inspire each other and find inspiration.

Nurturing a belief in starting small and seeing where things go, I invited eight women (who did not know each other well) – some my most trusted friends and a few thatI believed would become so – and launched the Inspiring Girls Experience on a warm summer evening in June 2009. Our experiences have run the gamut from "book and movie club" to "sushi and martini night" and everything in between, and have morphed over the years as our lives have evolved. But the impact of this amazing group of “girls” on my own personal growth – as a woman, a mother, a wife, a professional and a friend – has been life-changing. It has helped me define - at 41 - who I am and who I want to be, and what the next phase of my beautiful life will be. It is a gift that I would like to share.

Which brings us to this little blog: a tool to share the gift of the Inspiring Girls Experience with a broader audience. So grab your favorite beverage (and a few friends), settle into a relaxing place, and embrace life as an Inspiring Girl!