Red Hat That Doesn't Go

A poem written in 1961 called "Warning" by Jenny Joseph is one that most people would recognize upon hearing it start out with the words, "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat that doesn't go..."

I've quoted this line many times since discovering it.  It is my go-to-mantra when I give myself permission to be whomever I wish to be-even if for only the briefest of moments.

In 1997, Sue Ellen Cooper gave a friend a birthday gift of Jenny's poem and a vintage red hat.  Sue Ellen went on to found the Red Hat Society.  Today there are over 40,000 chapters in the United States alone consisting of women over the age of 55 who are dedicated to still having fun.

I recently met a woman I admire greatly.  Whenever I see her, she is always wearing a fabulous scarf. With a gorgeous, silk, work-of-art scarf draped about her shoulders, she exudes a beautiful aura of femininity that draws me to consider what beauty I can create within my own world.

And now I frequently also find myself wearing a scarf.