On Dangly Earrings and Leather jackets ….

Once upon a time, I could only buy whatever clothes I could find in my size, and there were not many. They were few and expensive. But except when I had time to sew, I had little choice, and sometimes was even forced to purchase articles that I didn’t even like.
As I lost weight, I reveled in the new experience of shopping with the knowledge that I had a CHOICE.
Now the clothing we wear is telling. Some women prefer sporty clothing, and some more feminine. What we choose to wear tells a bit about how we identify ourselves.
Suddenly, having a choice , I discovered that my tastes in clothing is changing. I am purchasing clothing that is more “young” than I used to. Then a month and a half ago I got daring: I saw in a store a pair of VERY LONG earrings, which I LOVED. But they were awfully long. But I got them anyway.
(And to tell you how much I LOVED them, consider this: Ricki one day took the earrings from my closet, and went with them to the living room. Then apparently she heard me coming in, and she “destroyed the evidence” by pitching them out the window! I discovered this all two days later, by which time one was lost forever. So I went back to the store and repurchased them. At least they were not expensive….)
The a few weeks ago I was in a store and saw a LOVELY leather jacket. And it looked lovely on me. It reminded me of coats I had always adored but could never fit into as a teen. So even though I am probably the only almost-60 year old lady in my town with such a coat, I bought it anyway.
I like the jacket, but unfortunately it DOES have connotations. Last week I wore it to a meeting with some friends and they quipped as I entered “Where’s your motorcycle?”
But I really was looking forward to my soldier-sons’s reactions. I imagined them complimenting my taste. The other morning one of them saw the coat, and his reaction?

“Hey Mom, where’s your Harley Davidson???”
YIKES!

But I am wearing it anyway.
I have a CHOICE.