Manifestations....

OK.....so I was at the Grocery Store last night, and I had an epiphany. I walked to the buggy corral to grab a cart, and reached for one at the same time as another woman approaching from the other direction. I looked up and smiled at her, indicating that she could take the cart, then froze mid-smile. My eyes caught a glimpse of her shoes....she looked down, and looked back at me with a wry smile and a shrug of the shoulders, took the cart and schlumped off. The issue was this - she had different shoes on each foot. Oh, they were the same style - just different colors. We've all done it - found a style of shoe we liked and bought one  pair in brown, one in black.... But on this day, the lady in question must have just grabbed and run - because there she was, out in public - wearing shoes that did not match. She looked to be about my age, and unless I am much mistaken, she had been beat hard with the dispirited, disheveled stick. Given my current state of mind, I started to wonder if her external was a manifestation of her internal. Did she feel as bedraggled as she looked? Lank, stringy hair, slumped shoulders, shuffling feet, and, of course, the mismatched shoes( they were nice shoes...I would have liked a pair myself)....do not bespeak a woman fully in touch with her place of personal power. Naturally, my internal monologue immediately turned to "Holy Cow....do I look like that?!"  I went directly to the meat department, so I could take a good look in the mirror (I promise that I am not normally that vain...OK....maybe about my hair, but other than that....). I looked myself square in the eye, and took a frank assessment ( Thank goodness the meat men had gone - they would have thought I had lost my mind). Posture - good, Face - still had a little make up on, Hair - well that's another story all together...I am the recent recipient of a very bad haircut (still uncertain how to fix it, but as a lady I've known my whole life said the other night....."It sure doesn't look very pretty, but it's hair - it will grow"....), Shoes -matching Red Crocs (don't be hating on the Crocs), Shirt - my favorite color: Tie Dye, Eyes - Bright Blue/Green, and yep.....sad - and tired - and old....an external manifestation of the internal.... To that end, I have decided to spend a week or so being mindful of and tending to my state of mind. Every day, I will purposefully do something that makes me happy, and I will do something new or adventurous. This morning, I drove around singing to Hermans Hermits - loudly - using a strong cockney accent - with all the windows down, feeling the beautiful wind on my face. (My apologies to anyone who might have been driving on Westchester or Main St. around 10:15)....happiness! As for something new - I am going to try to make a Foccaccia with my Sourdough, which has risen and is ready to go...maybe not adventurous, but definately something new! If it turns out, I will make Anne Marie's wonderful Baked Sandwich for supper....now, what to do about the bad hair.......