"I never wear pearls no more"

I sat in the waiting area at my psychiatrist's office yesterday, eavesdropping on a (overly loud) conversation. It was between an eccentric woman and her apparent chauffeur-gopher lady. The eccentric lady captivated me. I wanted to get to know her. She wore dangling earrings with a very tacky all-denim outfit, complete a full denim trench that I am sure she gave full justice at one point in time.
She was so nervous, with shaky hands and grease stains on her pants, yet still held a class about her. You'd have to have seen her in the light I did. Maybe I feel as if I can see 'into' people sometimes. She spoke of a new top she had, but damn it, she didn't have a good pair of dangle earrings to go with it. But the line she muttered that struck me most was "and I never wear pearls no more" It made me want to go over, sit next to her, take her by her shaky hands and tell her to please go home and put on her pearls, that'd she'd look magnificent in them.
She said it in such a longing way, as if she had her last last pearl-wearing moment in the forefront of her mind. Maybe it was the last time she felt wanted, or pretty. Or sane.
Maybe she's not crazy, maybe she's just eccentric. I have chipped nail polish, too, sometimes.

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Happiness is..

No, I won't say a warm gun, though something in me is dying to.

Happiness is the way my son's smile beams in the morning when he looks over at me.
The first sip from the perfect cup of coffee.
Drinking the milk after you've had really good cereal.
Laughing at my husband's humor.
The feeling I have on the day before I have a day off work.
Looking at a beautiful batch of pictures I've just taken and finding my favorites.
Getting (real) mail from someone special and feeling loved.
Running into someone you've genuinely missed and getting a hug.
Being in a different surrounding on a vacation and knowing you have not a single obligation.
Having my husband tell me I'm a good cook.
The first morning it is cold and feels like a proper winter.
Watching my son learn something new.
The way I feel after a great workout.
Date night.
Curling up with a good book and some quiet.
Looking through old cookbooks with my mother in law.
Buying new undies.
Being productive and feeling proud of myself.
Seeing the flowers in my yard bloom year after year.
The cold side of the pillow.
Chocolate.
Good music.

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