I ran across this charming poem called Warning by Jenny Joseph on a poster in a restaurant ladies room in the pacific northwest. While it specifically talks about a woman’s life, it could easily apply to both sexes. Enjoy.
When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go and doesn’t suit me, and I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves and satin sandals and say we have no money for butter
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells, and run my stick along the public railings, and make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick the flowers in other people’s gardens, and learn how to spit
You can wear terrible skits and grow more fat, and eat three pounds of sausages at a go, or only bread and pickles for a week, and hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry and pay our rent and not sweat in the street, and set a good example for children; we must have friends to dinner and read the papers
But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised when suddenly I am old and start to wear purple
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
