The Polka Dot Dress

Have you ever owned a piece of clothing that when you wore it, you just knew without a doubt that you looked GOOD?  Through the years I have owned some things that I really thought looked good on me.  When Amy was two years old, I bought a navy blue polka dot dress.  I wore a white scarf tucked in the neckline and I knew I looked good.  In fact, I wore it to Amy's second birthday party where a million pictures were taken to record this significant event.  In 1975 we did not have digital cameras.  We used cameras with flash cubes and then mailed off the roll of film and waited a week to get the pictures back.  Alas, I discovered the terrible truth -- that navy polka dot dress did not look as good as I believed.  In fact, after seeing the pictures I never wore it again.

This is the best picture out of the million taken.  Pictured are me, my mother, and my grandmother who is holding Amy.  I think my grandmother was probably not much older than I am now.














In November 2013, I bought a lightweight flannel shirt that I love.  It feels good and I love to wear it.  I  received enough compliments on the shirt that I went out and bought another in a different color.  On top of that I know/knew I look good in it.

Oops, it's the polka dot dress all over again!  The only difference is that I intend to keep wearing it.  It still feels good and I've reached a point where I can accept the fact that I'm never going to be thin.  I cannot accept the fact that I'm going to be unhealthy; therefore, I plan to make 2014 a year of consistent exercise and work on portion control.  I'm enjoying my retirement and want to be able to enjoy all our plans for the future.