HI Dakota:

Thanks so much for the nice words. We all have different amounts of stress in our lives. Pain causes stress. Kids cause us stress. Different things cause us stress. I have come to a certain part in my almost 60 years on this earth that I am allowing myself to be as stress-free as possible.

Today I put on a green outfit. What's a green outfit?? It's a pretty green and white gauze skirt, a white blouse, and some pretty green hanging things around my neck. Little tiny green earrings, and a bright little green pocketbook that you wear either like a shoulder bag or like the bandoleros do when they wear their ammunition.

Then I paired the whole outfit with my bright green crocs.

Now why is this so interesting?? Because for most of my life, I have worn black, navy blue, dark colors, tunic tops, whatever. That was my mental mode most of my life because I was severely overweight and had lots of trouble with my son.

So (and this took some time), I lost the weight and began throwing away the black outfits. If you think this is easy to do, believe me, it's way out of one's comfort zone. I have to consciously take my mind off of my pain (I have bad arthritis, sometimes I get the burning in my feet, but with the Methyl B-12, it's much better, I have scoliosis that hits you with a jackknife pain that it sometimes leaves me breathless.

But because I got up this morning and I'm alive, I say "what the hel*!!!

Yesterday, you should have seen me in Kings Plaza. I had to go there to pick up Alan's orthotics. He was home sleeping.

You should have seen me in Claire's (it's a nice cheap jewelry store) and everything is color-coordinated. They have necklaces, earrings, bracelets, all in different colors, and I'm looking around and I'm wearing my hot pink outfit and I felt good. Some guy walked over to me with a little basket and said "would you like a basket for your purchases??" I just looked at him.

You have to understand. I have never done this in over 35 years. I was in a bad place in my head so I couldn't put myself first. I now must do this. I must put myself first.

So there I was picking up this pair of earrings, the matching necklace, this little dodad, that little dodad, I must have bought 3 necklaces, two bracelets, and some earrings. All for the sum of $36.00.

Never had so much fun, just to be able to go into a store and buy something pretty for myself.

So today, I put the green necklace on my outfit.

Right now, my back is like sharp daggers. But I'll take a breath, move a bit, and it will go away.

But the biggest thing I just did was email my son and explain that we have to distance ourselves from each other because the stress he puts on my health, well, I can't do this for a while. I did what I had to do.

Sometimes we have to put ourselves first.

Oh, yesterday, I went to Bath and Body Works, you should have seen me spraying this scent on (these scents don't bother me, in fact they are very soothing),

Well, for $3.50 I bought a little thing of body lotion. It's the latest favorite thing. It's called Japanese Cherry Blossom. So if you like nice fragrances, and they don't bother your senses, you will absolutely love this one.

I know that some of us can't go near any kind of perfume, aromas, whatever. But in my case, it's the nail salons and cleaning product that do me in.

Whenever I go into a Bath and Body Works store, and I use their lavender products or, as I did yesterday, their Japanese Cherry Blossom, well, you should have seen Alan, when I came home and made him smell my arm.

Let's just say, his olfactory senses are still alive. He absolutely loved it.

So go and do something nice for yourself today.

And thank you for the nice words.

Melody