Go Ahead: Express Your True Self!

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By Skye Moody

Still hiding your True Self beneath that porkpie hat, those slip-on sloppy loafers, and that milquetoast mustard golf cardigan? Still marching to the communal drummer, mumbling agreement in conversations, when in your heart of hearts you hold an entirely different opinion and yet stifle it? Still driving the old Lexus while secretly dreaming of putting pedal to the metal at the wheel of a new model Mustang V8?

Are you still doing the old girls’ coffee klatch thing when you’d rather be studying botany or playing jazz trombone? Wearing ho hum Not Your Daughter’s Jeans that remind you of your son’s old school uniform pants? Still having those ladylike coral manicures when you’re drooling over OPI’s 007 Skyfall colors, like Moonraker Blue, which expresses your inner self more truly than anything even vaguely pink?

…it’s time to just be yourself…

Maybe it’s time to pull one of those slick “express yourself” makeovers so neatly executed by adolescents and then abandoned for acceptance into the social “norm,” clumsily reprised as “middle-age angst,” only to be again abandoned to the boring old “norm.” If today’s social norm no longer fits like the debutante’s kid glove, it’s time to just be yourself, and to heck with those who are too skittish to read their poetry aloud, or say — politely — what they really think, or walk, talk, create and even dress, as if they had permission to be themselves.

Could be you’ve always fancied wearing those sumptuous Victorian style bow ties, velvet smoking jackets, or (on the feminine side, natch) purple cigarette pants tight as Saran Wrap. Maybe it’s time to quit disguising your True Self and start expressing yourself through music, art, athletics, writing, poetry, clothing, or snazzy asymmetric haircuts and fancy manicures, just a few of many expressive forms that permit us to be more comfortable in our skin and to tell the world who we are inside via truthful outward expressions.

If you’re hungry for “age appropriate” dare devilry, artistic, musical, or fashion trends, cool and creative forms of self-expression, these and much more may be found on the Internet at numerous Websites, including Trendhunter.com.

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”- George Bernard Shaw

Trendhunter.com includes a “Seniors” section offering a Pandora’s Box (beware!) of ideas to stimulate the young at heart and set fire to your world. You might even be nominated to Irwin Olaf’s “Mature Models” list. One thing is certain: If you aren’t now expressing your True Self, one visit to Trendhunter.com will smoke your heels with the latest, greatest elder-invented trends. More than Web surfing, though, perhaps it’s time to take personal inventory of what’s important to your life, and what can, or should, be culled or created.

As George Bernard Shaw said, “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” It’s never too late to become who you really are and express the True You to the world. While you’re at it, you might even want to change your name from Gertrude to Petal, or Frank to Brad. Just remember that “Brittany” and “Jason” are already passé. As you begin recognizing the True You, you may be surprised how much in your life’s closet is just as dated.

About The Author

Novelist, essayist, photographer and world traveler, Skye’s 11 books include a seven-book environmental mystery series and two books of oral histories that span ethnic cultures around the globe, awarded respectively, “Mademoiselle Woman of the Year” and an NEH President’s Grant. Her book, Washed Up, The Curious Journeys of Flotsam and Jetsam, is the subject of an upcoming documentary film. Skye’s photographs have been exhibited in China, Russia, and the United States. Her latest novel, "Frostline" is available on Amazon.com, and the Audible versions of many of her books are available from Audiblebooks.com.