When the going gets rough.......the tough wear STILETTOS and listen to ROCK N'ROLL and POMP and CIRCUMSTANCE.....

The stilettos.....my idea. The rock n roll...advice from my smart, rock n rollin', groovy, Nike wearing friend. It's like that whole idea of turning lemons into lemonade (sugar free as my other in-the-know friend Gerry says). It all makes sense. It's all calorie free and makes you feel good. I think that's the key.....making the best of a situation that's not so great....without packing on the pounds, wrecking your lapband or adding to your already pudgy belly. Life will throw you tomatoes and potatoes and even big 10 lb zucchinis....of the fried variety, no less. But, you don't have to dip them in fat laced mayonnaise with gourmet pesto. You can take cover. Dodge 'em. Duck. Or....stop, drop and roll. Take your pick. Because, no matter...it is what it is. Even if it is what it is, you can find a way to make what it is not so lousy. I choose Bob, Bruce and amazing shoes. I guess you could wear flip-flops and listen to country music. If that's your thing. It's all a matter of preference. The important thing is that you do what you need to do even if it sucks big time. But, while you're doing it, you can feed your soul...with whatever it takes. And, in my case....the stilettos and rock n roll might just do the trick.

As for the Pomp and Circumstance. Today is a big day in our family. The first female in my immediate family since ME who will be graduating from college. Oh, I know...lots of girls graduate from college every day. I come from a big family of females. There's lots of us. We are smart. We are strong. And, damn, we can cook good.

We're a beautiful crew....all of us (see above!). But, there's not many degrees among us. Not that it's ever been a big deal. But, this thing with my darling niece is a BIG deal. She's gorgeous and bright and kind of Type A. She's creative and intense and funny and a little bit quirky. She has no idea how amazing she is but yet she is striving to figure it out. She's got this freckle on her foot and she has the same blue eyes as the rest of us. But, hers are luminous and young. When she steps up to grab that diploma....she's doing it for all of us. For all of us women who came before her. For her grandmother---who never got to hold her in her arms but I am sure moved heaven and earth to swoop down to wipe each and every tear she ever shed (and always will). For her loving and giving mother....who did everything in her power and beyond to make her life happy. For her great grandmothers....who could have never imagined what wonderful opportunities would await a woman in their lifetime. And, for her great aunts....women who stood on the sidelines watching their beloved late sister's grandchild grow....knowing how much it would have meant to her. And, for my sister and I... her aunts. We watched her flourish and become the woman she is today. The little girl who sat across the table from us on holidays. The toddler who smirked at us. The teenager who made us wonder. The young woman who made us proud. The woman who we embrace as one of us. Our niece Alexa will graduate today. She has no idea where she came from or where she will go. But, it is all beautiful. So, no matter what rain will fall today or what clouds will cover the sky.... I will find my most amazing pair of shoes and I will climb the steps of the Palumbo Center. And, I will smile. And, I will cheer. And, I will clap. And, I will toast and laugh and kiss and hug. Because there is nothing....and I mean absolutely nothing....more important today.


Today....the world will keep turning. People will keep wondering. Problems will fester. The higher powers will wield their higher powers. But, I.....well, I will wear stilettos and I will listen to rock n roll and Pomp and Circumstance.