Iris Ruth Pastor's Blog, page 9

The Power of The Compliment

“There are only three things women need in life: 
food, water, and compliments.” 
Chris Rock

Now that is a quote worth remembering.

Years ago Sarah Breathnach published a gem of a book called Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy. In it, she suggested we all look for three things to be grateful for. 

“Wow,” I lamented to my husband that evening, “what a ridiculous, simplistic and trite notion!”

“Why don’t you try it? he countered quietly. 

I stopped in my tracks. I ruminated on the suggestion. And I then concluded, “What the hell did I have to lose?” 

Immediately I started searching for grateful-worthy things. Some days finding things that engendered a warm glow of gratitude were easy; others not quite so seamless. Gradually, though, I slid into the rhythm of searching for the positive, uplifting and magical. 

Surprisingly, I discovered even the mundane, routine and run-of-the-mill registered on my gratitude radar screen. I began noting everything – minute or gigantic – that moved my gratitude meter in a positive direction. 
     Admiring the wooded view from my office on the second floor of my house. 
     Gazing at the collection of knitted purses I’d made over the years – stowed away on shelves in one of my closets.
     Finding a very old picture of two of my sons with retired baseball player George Foster from decades ago and forwarding it to them.

Being grateful for the little things worked. Instead of concentrating on my fears, my woes, my aggravations and disappointments, I pushed all that stuff aside in my quest to seek out the pleasant and the pleasing.  I went through my days intent on finding things to be thankful for – specific things – diverting my attention away from negativity.

It’s the same template for COMPLIMENTS. Turn your mindset in a more positive way with friends and family and people you interact with. 

Begin concentrating on something to compliment them on, rather than focusing on what they do that drives you to distraction. Veering from the downbeat, unhelpful and unconstructive silo into the zone of positivity benefits everyone.

We all recognize that compliments are powerful, day-brightening, confidence building and validating tools. But beware of over use or misuse. 
     EXERCISE DISCERNMENT: take the time to find out what the individual you are planning on complimenting could best benefit from. Is it complimenting a character trait? A physical attribute? A professional achievement? Compliment accordingly.
     OBSERVE: strive to compliment what makes that person stand out above the rest. Take the time to reflect on what you admire about the person. Then fire away.                                                                                                                     National Compliment Day was created in 1998 by Kathy Chamberlin, of Hopkinton, NH and Debby Hoffman, of Concord, NH. These women felt that through the giving of compliments a positive connection with anyone would be achieved. 

National Compliment Day was Januray 24th – and that day has passed. World Compliment Day was March 1 – and that day has passed too But my event, “The Art of Female Friendship,” is fast approaching and has the same aim: to foster positive connections. 

Registration closes on Monday, April 8. If you’d like to be a part of this groundbreaking event designed to forge and strengthen interpersonal ties with your friends, here’s the registration link: 
https://jewishtampa.redpodium.com/preserving-your-bloom

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

I’m Thinking I Have a Pretty Awesome Life

Mainly – and I don’t say this lightly – most days I feel like I have a pretty awesome life of my own choosing.

I fill my days with – for the most part – doing what I want to do when I want to do it.

But there are days when I’m beyond frustrated by technology, sooooo tired of sweeping my front porch, deleting an endless amount of advertising e mails, dealing with ever increasing doctors appointments and the tedium of paying bills, paying taxes and simply paying attention to the upheavals worldwide.

And some days I’m just downright lonely – wishing my nest wasn’t empty and I was still the hub of the family wheel rather than now when I’m just one of the spokes.

I was deeply comforted recently when I read a newspaper story on happiness and in it the author offered some tantalizing observations.

She made the point that her family, her job and her marriage are all on track, noting that those three things are the main sources of meaning for her. She concluded she was pretty happy.

But she also noted a happy life can be made up of hard circumstances also:
One kid has a virus.
Two are chronically late turning in homework.
She’s behind on multiple work assignments, making her irritable as hell.
Her husband is on the verge of coming down with a killer sinus headache.
Oh, yes, and she’s very worried about her relatives in the Ukraine.

Epiphany!
I too love my life, but not all the moments in it.

That’s why it’s a wise person who can seize a moment of pure happiness amidst the continued chaos and aggravations of life.

That’s what I did yesterday when I flew back to Ohio, met four of my sons and three of my grandkids in my hometown of Cincinnati for the most fun tradition ever: OPENING DAY for the Cincinnati Reds!

But intermixed between the hugging hellos, the excited settling in our seats, the incessant cheering and the wolfing down of Skyline Chili – twinges of sadness washed over me for what used to be and is no more.

Then:
My five children living at home with my husband and me in our comfortable two-story colonial in a suburb of Cincinnati
My parents and my in-laws just minutes away in their own homes

Now:
My five children have all settled elsewhere.
We sold our family home 18 years ago and moved away too.
And both sets of parents remain forever in our hometown – in adjacent cemeteries in an old part of the city.

As Williams Wordsworth so eloquently put it over 200 years ago, “though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass and glory in the flower, we will grieve not but rather find, strength in what remains behind.”

I have a lot of good stuff remaining behind. I’m glad I’m able to draw upon it and amidst life’s inevitable losses, still find the joy.

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

I Should Have Known

I should have known it was a bad sign when I changed the filter on the Keurig a few days early. 

I should have known it was a bad sign when I didn’t stop there but actually went on to descale the coffee machine too. 

Here’s the link if you’re so inclined.

Another bad sign: I didn’t stop there. I rigorously swept the floor of the garage -which by the way was pretty filthy – and then I started on the spare refrigerator in the garage, which was enjoying the same level of filth. (My mother of blessed memory would be horrified at the dirt.)

And then I plopped on the couch – utterly exhausted. 

When I begin compulsively cleaning and making order out of chaos, that is an accurate indicator that I feel out of control internally. 

There were a few things bothering me. 

After a hideous night at a sleep center, I was informed that I have moderate sleep apnea – indicating I stop breathing anywhere between15-30 times per hour.YIKES!

In addition, my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer and is entering the last of 5 weeks of daily radiation and is feeling extremely fatigued. 

And my newest adventure – The Art of Female Friendship – is in full activation mode and keeping me extremely busy.  

In a rare moment of solitude and relaxation, I sit on my screened porch watching the sun set. I scan the headlines of the Wall Street Journal resting in my lap.  

I am stopped in my tracks by the following headline: Stop Constantly Asking Kids How They Feel by Abigail Shrier.

I am mesmerized, even though my kids are grown up and have flown the nest.

I quickly realize that every day – many times a day – I am nervously probing my husband’s moods and his emotional needs.

How do you feel?
How do you feel?
How do you feel?

And paradoxically I am kinda ignoring my worries over my recently diagnosed sleep apnea because I already booked an appointment to be fitted for a mouthpiece that will hopefully correct it. 

And paradoxically, I am ignoring the pit in my stomach as I routinely am startled from deep sleep each night to once again review the nitty-gritty to-do list of details for the “The Art of Female Friendship” event coming up way too soon on Friday, April 12. Details, I should note, that seem to be growing in length and breadth each day – instead of diminishing – as the event grows closer. 

So I began perusing the article. Abigail Shrier makes some interesting points:

The more we vigorously hunt for happiness, the more likely we are to be disappointed.

Emotion “check-in” can encourage a self-destructive mindset in young people, who need to learn to manage and sometimes ignore their fleeting feelings. 

A healthy emotional life involves a certain amount of repression. 

People who adopt an ”action orientation” are able to focus on a task without getting distracted by thoughts about their current emotional or physical state. Those who adopt a ”state orientation” are thinking more about themselves in the moment …keeps themselves from being successful.

I’m still digesting all of this “wisdom” and wondering perhaps if the same can be applied to adults. In my case, I seem to do better when I put my emotions behind me and tackle a task. I’m wondering if my continually asking my husband how he is feeling is holding him back from getting his mind off his physical functioning right now – keeping him in a silo of radiation fatigue. 

It’s worth considering. Read the article for yourself.

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

The Last Washing Machine I’ll Ever Buy

When my husband retired, he took over the washing and drying of our clothes. 

This was a good fit. 

He doesn’t rush through mundane tasks – resentful of the time it takes to satisfactorily complete them – like I do.

And he consistently demonstrates significant attention to details. Not something I ever do. 

I noticed this shortly after we were married and became officially a blended family. We moved into a brand-new house and I began decorating. I painted our four-year old’s room a deep green, coupled it with white molding and picked out green and blue plaid carpeting. 

I was a little matchy-matchy crazy in those days, so I looked for art to complement his room in the same color schemes. One day I found a darling print in the same colors as my son’s room.  I bought it on the spot.

When it was framed, my husband picked it up. The frame shop owner, Rick, unwrapped the picture and showed him what the print looked like matted and framed. My husband took one look at it and was horrified. He told Rick that I couldn’t have possibly picked this out for a 4-year old’s room, but Rick assured him that I had.

My husband left the frame shop thoroughly perplexed.  When he got home, he unwrapped the picture and asked me if this was indeed the picture I had picked out.

“Of course it is,” I answered casually.

“Do you know what this picture is?” he demanded.

“Yes,” I answered tartly. “I’m not an idiot. It’s Noah’s Ark with the animals going two-by-two.”

“Not quite,” he snapped back. “Take a closer look.”

I did.  And then that is when I realized that the animals were doing a little bit more than just walking two-by -two.

The picture was never hung in our son’s bedroom. We hung it in our master bath – as a constant reminder to me to be more observant and a constant reminder to my husband that the woman he married may not be the most discerning woman on earth.

As I stated at the beginning of this column, it’s been a long time since I did wash. Yesterday, when I went to throw in a load of whites, I noticed a section of the washing machine blocked off with ugly black masking tape. It was the part that dispenses bleach directly into the washing tub. That’s when I realized how old our machine was. 

Maybe it was time to look for a new one.

I started half-heartedly looking for sales. 
I asked friends for recommendations.
I read about “exciting” new features every washer should have. Seriously? “Exciting”??????

Dual bin washer and dryer where you can actually wash a load of whites and a load of colors in two separate loads but at the same time. WOW! Absolutely riveting!

An “Emergency-Door Washer” which allows you to add left behind garments to your already started washers through a small, “second chance” door, keeping you from having to run an additional wash cycle. OMG! Couldn’t possibly live without this one!

“There is nothing worse than tossing in a load of dirty, grimy, stained clothing into your washer, only for it to come out looking just as bad as it did when you started your washer.” Seriously, do these advertising people listen to the world-wide news???? I can think of a few things worse than grimy clothes. 

The whole process was becoming overwhelming.

But looking back, it wasn’t the many features that delayed me from buying a new washer nor the lack of sales nor lack of consensus of my friends’ recommendations. 

It is simply this: 
I’m 76 years old. 
If I buy another washing machine, it will probably be the last washing machine I’ll ever buy.
I simply am not yet able to wrap my arms around that startling fact.

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

Doodling Away in the Aftermath

It was the tail end of my visit with my three married sons and their families. And it had been a magical ten days. Why? Because we just hung-out – together.

I watched all eight of my grandchildren in their own element. Two had just gotten their driver’s licenses. Sitting beside them in the front seat brought back all the parental terrors of watching my own kids pull into traffic years before – and just wanting to grab the wheel away from them – for no discernible reason on their part. 

Fortunately, the next youngest batch of grandkids weren’t as mobile so their mother and father were still driving them around. I watched them being chauffeured to and from their friends’ houses, enmeshed in the drama of their lives. It was a joy to see them all engaged with their peers but clearly loving their families too.

The three youngest zapped my energy in a most delightful way – big smiles when I arrived, tears when I left and lots of hugs and begging to play with them non-stop in between.

And then – the day before I was leaving to return home – came a rather unpleasant incident unrelated to my sons, daughters-in-law and grandkids – one that upset my equilibrium. And not being in my own element, I had to find a way to both process it and cope with the onslaught of unfamiliar emotions I was experiencing. 

It was too late and too cold to walk off my angst when the news came into my inbox. My knitting needles and yarn were 1000 miles away. And the novel I had schlepped with me was no longer holding my interest.   

While my son and his family were sprawled on the couch absorbed in both their phones and a basketball game on TV, I absentmindedly began to hunt for something to calm me down.

I wandered into the basement and began exploring the arts and crafts closet my daughter-in-law had assembled  for her kids – replete with all weights and colors of construction paper and all types of markers and paint tubes.

I grabbed a thick pad of paper and an unopened plastic container filled with every imaginable color of paint marker and headed back upstairs.

I began to scribble. 
And scribble some more. And as I scribbled, I mulled over my emotions in relation to the disturbing news delivered to me hours before. 

The rhythmic motion of my unfettered line drawings allowed my mind to circle back to this most recent dilemma and think about it from many perspectives.

I looked up. An hour had passed.
I realized I was doodling to work through my frustration. I realized I was communicating in symbolic swirls, lines, patterns, and polka dots rather than the usual way of expressing myself – which is with words. 

Doodling is to absentmindedly scribble. And most importantly, a doodle is a drawing made while a person’s attention is otherwise occupied. I could relate.

As I created small drawing after drawing in bright neon colors on a variety of colors of construction paper, I noted my mood improved considerably. 

Researchers believe that doodling can allow individuals to work through and express their emotions. This healthy release frees up space in the brain and ultimately, has a calming effect. That evening, drawing aimlessly allowed me to express myself not only artistically but to examine the psychological and emotional undertones raging inside me. 

I drew a lot of polka dots that day
And swirly cues
And my name 
And flowers
And the name of my non-profit

The next morning, feeling quite cheerful and with an entirely more positive perspective, I took eight of the cards and wrote brief but heartfelt notes to each of my grandkids telling them how much I had enjoyed my time with them.

Then I did the same for their parents. 

These drawings represent a new way I have developed to deal with unpleasant things that happen in life, to losses not anticipated – and curve balls coming from unexpected places.

I recognize now more than ever the power of not just the pen, but the marker. 

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

Finding Your Compass of Direction

Ann Kearney-Cooke is a provocateur. She appeals to those of us who are shackled by circumstances and overruled by rationalizations.

She tells this story:
There was a small town that had a zoo and the people of the town wanted a polar bear so the directors of the zoo raised the money to acquire a polar bear and build a habitat. The polar bear arrived early and so had to be confined in a cage until the habitat was finished.

When the habitat was ready, a ceremony took place to dismantle the cage and the polar bear was set free to explore his new living quarters – with all its nooks and crannies – but the polar bear kept moving as if the cage were still there.

“How many of us,” asks Dr. Kearney-Cooke, founder and director of The Cincinnati Psychotherapy Institute, “don’t get out of the cages of our own making? How many of us are doomed to get the same disappointing results because we confine ourselves to the same limited space?  How many of us hold onto outdated visions and unrealistic goals?”

I, of course, key in immediately to what she is alluding to. For years, I bowed down and paid daily homage to the little black numbers that jumped into view every morning (and sometimes more than that) when I tentatively stepped on that bathroom scale.  What I weighed not only determined what I ate that day, but how I felt about myself, the world, my abilities and my value.

When I finally unattached myself from this neurotic mind-set, I found myself in a state of disorientation and confusion. How could I gauge my mood without the little black numbers to keep score?  How did I know whether to be energized, inspired, depressed or disappointed if THE BATHROOM SCALE wasn’t there to access my sense of self-worth?

Finally I came to the stunning conclusion that I was entitled to be happy in spite of what the scale said – not because of it, but the transition from weighing myself obsessively to not weighing myself at all was a tough one.  I needed other mile markers and there were none to be found.

“Transitions, both short-term and long-term,” says Kearney-Cooke, “are tough and we tend to overeat (or drink too much, or smoke too much) when we are not making transitions in a healthy way. That’s when our resources are low and the demands are high, so we develop a symptom to re-fuel us – and too often it is one that is not good for us.”

The challenge is to create rituals that make transitions easier. Observe the lobster, who, when he outgrows his shell, discards it and goes into hiding until the new shell is fortified against predators.

We all could use a specified amount of time-out to grow a new and more resistant shell – that fits better and feels right. One woman, who has a tough time making the transition from mealtime to the end of mealtime, brushes her teeth at the end of each meal – thus depicting to herself that the meal is finished. Another woman, when she returns home from work each evening, symbolically sheds her entrepreneurial mind-set by lighting a scented candle and hovering close to take in the pleasant aroma. She has put a stop to rushing in the door, flinging off her coat and immediately zoning in on collecting her phone messages, retrieving the mail and accessing her E-mails.

As Kearney-Cooke concluded, “Become the director, not the actor of your life. And allow the ‘compass of direction’ to slowly shift until it rests where it should have been in the first place – inside yourself.”

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

My Whole Blue Print for Being Over 75

With age hopefully comes some privilege, some wisdom and a whole host of revelations and resolutions.  Here’s what I’ve picked up along the way……..

I’ve finally decided that now that I am over the age of 75, I AM NEVER GOING TO:
     Chew gum after the flavor has gone out
     Eat fat-free mayonnaise, no-fat salad dressing and cheap ice cream
     Eat more than I want just to make the hostess happy
     Repress my anger
     Refrain from giving someone a compliment the moment it pops into my head     
     Force myself to use up my cheap perfume before I start on the good stuff
     Be afraid to use the guest towels in someone else’s home
     Not visit my sister on her birthday
     Keep on display “tchotchkes” I’ve been given that I really don’t like
     Pass up an opportunity to buy lemonade from a kid selling it from a homemade stand     
     Stop licking the bowl after I make a cake
     Start sitting like a lady
     Dress conservatively
     Choose sensible shoes over sexy ones
     Do for someone else what he is capable of doing for himself
     Begrudge doing for someone else what he truly needs help doing for himself
     Pass up a chance to slow dance with my husband
     Resent someone else’s easy success

I have finally decided now that I am over the age of 75, I AM GOING TO:
     Continue to flirt, wear black mascara and dress funky
     Talk dirty in the appropriate situation
     Tell it like it is/how I see it
     Laugh like hell
     Sing in the shower/dance in my living room in front of the open windows
     Eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches weekly    
     Drink an ice-cold beer at a ball game
     Work my arms with weights so I can still wear sleeveless dresses
     Fantasize to my heart’s content
     Continue my policy of answering the phone at my own convenience – after all, they called me at theirs    
     Go out to eat even if there are leftovers 
     Accept that even shadowy and incomplete memory fragments have meaning
     Nurture ties that bind rather than lines of discord that separate
     Eavesdrop shamelessly when stuck waiting in line

I have finally decided now that I am over the age of 75, IT’S ABOUT TIME I:
     Learn how to use the remote, pick out a cantaloupe and figure out how to read a stock statement
     Take a photography course
     Stop gagging at the site of raw tofu
     Lower my expectations for others and raise my own for myself
     Try harder to return phone calls promptly – not just when I feel like it
     Stop agonizing over my poor memory and inability to remember details
     Quit paying dues to groups in which I have no interest in maintaining membership
     Stop using the calculator to figure my checkbook and exercise elementary school math subtraction skills instead
     Listen instead of talk so much
     Listen instead of interrupt so much
     Listen instead of thinking about my next witty retort
     Admit I love romance novels with a passion
     Figure out how to give a seamless dinner party
     Nourish my intoxication with ideas
     Realize that when God takes away, he often gives back – but in another form

And finally, I have decided that even though I am now over the age of 75, I can still express myself freely, adamantly, often and with vigor.  How about you?   

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

I Get By – With A Little Help From My Friends

Remember the song “With A Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles? 
That could be my tagline.

How could I possibly get through life without the advice, guidance and ongoing suggestions from my buddies? They have proven not only highly helpful, but, in some cases, truly life altering.

Because. . .

Dealing with massive bags under my eyes
Wondering whether to go gray
Confused by all cosmetic enhancements available, not to mention supplements and vitamins
Needing to vent about weight gain, saggy upper arms, bloat and a bad haircut
Feeling irrelevant at times by kids and grandkids and just trying to get through the daily grind. . .

Is a whole lot easier when you have friends who you can count on to be there for you… even if you happen to “sing out of tune!”
 
After All. . .

That’s why I’ve teamed up with the Tampa JCC and Federation to present a very special event:
The Art of Female Friendship
Friday, April 12 at the Tampa JCC at 11:30am
Women of all ages will have an opportunity to learn a little, laugh a lot and meet some new friends over lunch.  

               CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

But even if you don’t live in the Tampa area or aren’t able to attend the event this time around, you can still benefit from all the great resources I am gathering from and for women like you!

I’d like to learn who you follow on social media, what websites, podcasts, TV shows, movies and YouTube channels you frequent, the books and columns you read, and other resources you turn to that that focus on concerns and interests to women. 

As soon as I compile the responses, I will share a comprehensive list with you and all my readers, so please consider taking part in this easy and very valuable project!  

Just click here to email me your suggestions. After all, can we ever have enough go-to places for help, advice, support and guidance as we navigate life’s tricky terrain? 

As always, a huge THANK YOU in advance for your responses, your ongoing support, your encouragement and friendship. It has undoubtedly enabled me to continue to bloom. And I hope this weekly newsletter has allowed you to do the same.

And who knows… If you aren’t able to make it to this event, there’s a chance I could be coming to your town next. But no matter where you live or where you are in your journey, I hope you will never stop blooming. . . 
Because –  
WHAT GOOD IS GROWING, IF YOU NEVER GET TO BLOOM?

The Intrusive Visitor

Sometimes something appears in an unexpected place that I absolutely must pass along. The unexpected place was a posting on “next door.”
Below is the unexpected copy.

A strange old lady has moved into my house. I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not invite her. All I know is that one day she wasn’t there, and the next day she was.

She is a clever old lady and manages to keep out of sight for the most part, but whenever I pass a mirror, I catch a glimpse of her. And, whenever I look in the mirror to check my appearance, there she is hogging the whole thing, completely obliterating my gorgeous face and body. This is very rude! I have tried screaming at her, but she just screams back.

Food seems to disappear at an alarming rate-especially the good stuff like ice cream, chips, and sweets. She must have a real sweet tooth, but she’d better watch because she is really packing on the pounds. I suspect she realizes this, and to make herself feel better, she is tampering with my scale to make me think I am putting on weight, too.

For an old lady, she is quite childish. She likes to play nasty games, like going into my wardrobes when I’m not home and altering my clothes so they don’t fit. And she messes with my files and papers so I can’t find anything. This is particularly annoying since I am extremely neat and organized.

She has found other imaginative ways to annoy me. She gets into my mail, newspapers, and magazines before I do and blurs the print so I can’t read it. And she has done something really sinister to the volume controls on my TV, radio, and telephone. Now, all I hear are mumbles and whispers. 

She has done other things – like make my stairs steeper, my vacuum heavier and all the knob and taps harder to turn. She even made my bed higher so that getting into and out of it is a real challenge.

Lately, she has been fooling with my groceries before I put them away, applying glue to the lids, making it almost impossible for me to open the jars. 

She has taken the fun out of shopping for clothes. When I try something on, she stands in front of the dressing room mirror and monopolizes it. She looks totally ridiculous in some of those outfits, plus, she keeps me from seeing how great they look on me.

Just when I thought she couldn’t get any meaner, she proved me wrong. She came along when I went to get my picture taken for my driver’s license, and just as the camera shutter clicked, she jumped in front of me.

I hope she never finds out where you live!

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

Why We Need Female Friends and What I Did About It

There isn’t a woman I know who hasn’t had to navigate through some pretty tough terrain at various times in her life. My life has had joyous surprises, daunting challenges and lots of twists and turns in between. Ups and downs don’t have to define us – or stop us from living the life we crave. . .

That’s why I started Preserving Your Bloom – a non-profit organization offering opportunities for women at every stage of life to keep learning, connecting and  flourishing. After all, what good is growing if you never get to bloom? 

Get ready to get your bloom on! Why? 

On Friday, April 12th, our very first program, ”The Art of Female Friendship”, will debut in partnership with the Tampa JCC and the Tampa Jewish Federation. (Please note this is a secular event.) Guests will have a chance to learn, laugh and meet new friends and mingle with old ones over lunch from 12:00 to 1:30 PM at the JCC at 522 N. Howard Avenue. Doors open at 11:30 AM.

And I’ll be delivering the keynote address that will answer the burning questions:
Friendships: Why we need them, how to find and keep and keep them, when to fix them, and when to let them go!

The event will also include a box lunch, program, mini-market place of ideas and resources and some super surprises.

If you live in the Tampa Bay area, I hope you will consider joining me as we embark on this journey – a journey that will include other engaging programs throughout 2024 in our fascinating exploration of female friendships. 

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at preservingyourbloom47@gmail.com 

And you can get a flavor of what our non-profit is all about by going on our new website: https://www.preservingyourbloom.org/

Feel free to invite other fabulous women – just like yourself – to enjoy a day of fun and friendship in full bloom!  It would give me great pleasure to share this day with you!

Keep Preserving Your Bloom,

If you live elsewhere, we are amenable to taking this show on the road!