WOMEN WHO ROCK!!!
I love women! And I say that in a completely spriitual and respectful way. I am on a serious quest to learn from women who have gone before me. Our culture is so harsh on older women. You would think that there are no females past the age of 70 who are interesting.
Ok, so you hear about one here and one there who reaches the age of 102. You'll see a photo of her in front of a birthday cake and you know everyone's wondering what she'd going to do with the lit candles. According to The Enquirer, this female would stand out as a freak.
I've often wondered if I was an "old" soul as I've always enjoyed the company of older people, even senior citizens. My first go-around at college, I was 19 and had three best friends who were between the ages of 42 and 65. Each of these women taught me important life lesssons.
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Acorean-born Ligia, attends dances at the SES Portuguese Hall in Santa Clara as often as she can. This lady was so adorable, I was immediately drawn to her. We giggled through a haze of loud music and had a great time.
Ligia is a hairstylist who lives alone and displays wonderful fashion sense. She shows up looking beautiful with gorgeous jewelry and accessories. The fact that I Ligia's a fashion plate, is not what impresses me. What does impress me is the fact that she cares enough about herself to take the time.
[caption id="attachment_389" align="alignleft" width="120" caption="Precious!"]
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I've had times in my life when I think, "Forget it. I'm too damn old. No amount of makeup will make me look better." These times would be followed by times of laziness and depression where I'd lug around in god-I'm-too-embarrassed-to-tell-you-clothing. If you consider that clothing needs to cover necessary parts you can call what I wore 'clothing.' But I really left the house clad in something as charming as a sleeping bag.
I'm not Madonna, Nicole Kidman or Sharon Osborne. I won't be getting plastic surgery. I have to make the best of what I've got, no matter how displeased I may be with those attributes.
And then there's Vivian, a lady who owns a beauty supply store on El Camino Real. Vivian is a member of Santa Clara's Soroptimist's Club. She used to have a chain of beauty supplies and also was a hairstylist.
"I'd like to interview you," I said to Vivian the day we met. "Are you at your store everyday?"
"Sure," Vivain replied. "But you have to get there early to catch me."
Of course. I should've known that a woman with Vivian's verve would be hard to catch. This lady laughed when I asked her age and revealed that she's the designated driver among her same-age friends. 
At 5 ft. 8 inches, Vivian towered over me with a straight as a board spine. She was a vision of serenity and graceful in white slacks and an aqua short-sleeved top. I think she ever wore low-heeled shoes.
Laura is a local politician. There's much I need to find out here.
I'm getting questions together for a story: Were you always optimistic? Were you always like this? Did you have a life-changing event? What was your mother like? What are your friends like? What does your family think? Do they tell you to act your age? What's your philosophy of life?
At this point, it appears that most of the women I've found to interview are all beauticians. An old throw-back word my childhood! But I don't believe this line of work is a necessary commonality that keeps some women interested in life. By the time I get the interviews together, I expect to have lots more questions.
Are there any questions you'd like me to ask?
Original source: http://triciachambers.wordpress.com/?p=387
