The Royal Wedding! by DL Larson

Having just recovered from our own family wedding with all the chaos, fun and otherwise, I'm feeling a little sorry for Kate and Will. Their wedding has turned into a production more than a ceremony to commit their love to one another.

Kate is down to a size two ~ was that really necessary? She was beautiful before someone mentioned she needed to lose a few pounds. Is society still demanding such unrealistic expectations on young women? The media is more focused on what size dress she wears over what she wants to accomplish with her new world position. I'd much rather hear about her goals in life rather than more drival over her unhealthy diet or what dress maker she prefers. The dress makers will make their fortunes without the media splattering their brandnames all over the TV and magazines.

Did you hear how eyebrows rose when Kate said she preferred to arrive at the ceremony via car rather than a Cinderella type carriage? I applaude her! It's her wedding, let her decide her mode of transportation.

As far as Will is concerned, I question a few choices he's made. First, was there not another ring he could have chosen besides his mother's engagement ring? That commitment didn't work so well for her. Or perhaps he could have used the jewels and made a ring especially for Kate? Am I the only romantic who thinks he took the easy way out? Beautiful the ring is, but beauty is not the only factor or purpose in this token of affection. I personally think Prince William could have done better for his beloved. The other thing is trivial, but I'll mention it anyway. I wish he'd use a little mousse in his hair.

The wedding is estimated to cost $16 million. A bit more than my daughter's! Souvenirs are said to bring in over $1 billion. I'm wondering about that. The souvenirs at my daughter's wedding were at our expense. Hmmm, and which of the many celebratory tokens will be worth the most in years to come? The barf bags with the royal couples picture on it or the wedding gnomes?

I do wish Kate and Will a wonderful, wedding and great marriage. The disco ball in the palace ballroom is bound to be a big hit at the reception! I'm sure we will be seeing the Prince and Princess in the news for years to come. I hope the information we receive will be about their efforts in helping others, or some way making a difference in the world and not just fashion stuff.

I look forward to watching the Royal couple grow and mature just as I will my own daughter and son-in-law.

Til next time ~

DL Larson

A day off

I took the day off from work today to get caught up on so many tasks that have been on my to-do-list for way too long. I've come to the conclusion that there will always be more items to add to the list than those that will be scratched off as completed. Sigh.

So, one of the items on my list lately has been time for myself. I've unexpectedly come to a point in my life where I'm now on my own - almost divorced and a daughter who has her own life. At first I was afraid - the unexpected breakup of my marriage, and to an extent my life - had me walking numbly through my life wondering what I was going to do and even how I was going to be able to make it on my own.

Then something wonderful happened. I survived. I survived first one day and then another, then a week, then a month. I've come to appreciate having time now to explore my life and work on those aspects of my life that I want to enhance or improve. As I said to a friend today, the only person I'm responsible for now is myself and when I do something it's because I want to do it and not because I'm trying to make someone else happy, something which is usually an uphill climb, especially when that other person is comfortable being unhappy.

Another item on my to-do-list is to figure out which writing project I want to embrace next. My first romantic suspense novel was rejected and I've put it aside for now to give me some distance and time to rethink my approach to this novel. I've written a few shorter pieces but not sure if they're ready for submission right now or not. I've outlined another novel and am actually quite excited about one in particular. So, lots of possibilities, and that's what's so exciting right now for me. Lots of possibilities.

Faced with traumas in life such as divorce, death, loss - especially when they are unexpected - usually results in most of us shutting down, giving up, becoming depressed. Well, I was depressed but now I'm embracing all the possibilities that have now come my way - possibilities that I don't believe would have been as available to me had certain changes in my life not taken place.

Life can be hard, scary, even ugly, but it can also be beautiful and right now - despite lots of shared turmoil due to the world's economy, job losses and overall uncertainty - I'm seeing and experiencing the beauty of life. It's what I'm choosing to do. I could lose everything tomorrow, but today I'm feeling pretty good about my life.

I'm glad I took the day off to enjoy it, even if my to-do-list has grown.