Pink Days in Bloom
Attending the Pink Days in Bloom campaign event was a big deal for Janice Wells this past week. She why inside.
Last Wednesday afternoon I went somewhere besides the store, a doctor’s appointment or to run an errand. I went to a tree planting at Government House in honour of the Pink Days in Bloom campaign to raise money for breast cancer research.
It was a big deal for me for two reasons:
No. 1: Inspired by an American fundraiser based on the sales of a pink hydrangea called Invincible Spirit, Pink Days in Bloom is an amazing example of what an invincible spirit can do, in this case the spirit of Mount Pearl breast cancer survivor Linda Ryan.
Linda took that idea of fundraising from the sales of one type of pink flower for one day and turned it into a multi-day, multi-event fundraiser that is expanding more every year to include dozens of locations across the country and into the States, and has raised over $100,000.00 to date.
That is a big deal that keeps getting bigger and contributes to the fact that breast cancer survival rates keep getting better.
No. 2: It was a big deal for me personally because I have become a bit of a recluse, not intentionally, but gradually (and insidiously) I have come to prefer staying home to going out anywhere. Some of you won’t relate to this, but I’m sure some of you will.
Now, thanks to Linda’s kind invitation, in one day I fulfilled one of the 21 pieces of advice in Janine’s most recent anti-aging Internet find (attributed to an Alan S. Bame) and became very conscious of two others.
It is actually a pretty good list and Janine helpfully suggested that I adapt it into my own personal ‘Step’ program. As if it wasn’t bad enough that she said “I” and not “we,” she went on to say that I could probably add some other ideas to the list. Of course. Why stop with a 21-step program for self-improvement when you could come up with a whole other bunch of stuff to beat yourself up about?
However, I do know that working a step program can achieve huge miracles, so trying it for smaller ones can’t be a bad idea.
So, one of the steps I have tried and am going to keep trying is ‘Even if you don’t feel like it, go to things.’ The object of this is to get you out of the house to do something more social than picking up groceries; maybe even something new, but even going for a walk counts.
I did feel like going to the tree planting last week, but I will admit that it felt strange to be out. Being out and meeting people should not be a strange thing.
The other two steps that this brought to my intention can be summed up in one; “keep up your personal appearance.”
Oh dear. There I was, remembering too late that the only nice looking shoes I have (having gotten rid of everything remotely high and stylish) that I could safely stand on a lawn in were open toed, and, while I wasn’t at the cheese grater stage for my heels stage, I could have used a pedicure.
I know I looked OK, but I couldn’t help but realize that the combined age of the clothes I was putting on was older than my gravy browning times three. I had a brief thought of rushing off to the nearest clearance rack to get something new, but there was no time. It is on my to do list for this week.
If I find something that makes me feel good (at the right price) I will not think, as I usually do, ‘when will I ever wear this’ and put it back. Instead I will think ‘I will wear this somewhere nice’ and then I will have go somewhere nice if only to justify spending the money.
It’s true; looking better outside (your body, not your house) makes you feel better inside. I will try to remember that the next time I’m about to leave the house looking like a streel because I’m just going to the grocery store.
At least, by combining two, I’m down to a 20-step program.