Too Good for Her Own Good

Between two evils,

I always choose the one I haven’t tried before.

Mae West

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An excerpt from Too Good for Her Own Good by Claudia Bepko and Jo-ann Krestan:

Our fantasies are guides to our real selves.  And unless we’re acting on the basis of those fantasies, chances are we’re not taking appropriate responsibility for ourselves. Unless we allow our dreams and passions to emerge, shaped by the realistic limits of our lives, we numb ourselves by being too responsible, too much a serious adult.  In this state we usually become focused on acting in a parental way toward everyone else.  Instead of following our dreams, we take responsibility for theirs.  We feel frustrated and stuck as a result.

Many women avoid making changes or decisions because they feel they can’t bring themselves to hurt someone else.  Hurting others is a reality of real relationships.  We can’t be wholly involved and engaged with another person without sometimes hurting them because inevitably two people’s needs and impulses are different and conflict.

The bottom line is that unless we feel that the decisions we make are based on values that we’ve defined for ourselves, unless we feel we’re truly being responsive to our own needs and wants, our relationships are likely to suffer anyway.  They’ll suffer from the underlying anger and resentment that we feel because we’re not pursuing our own goals.  We can’t be genuinely responsive to others unless we’re responsible to ourselves first.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share how you’ve been good to yourself.  Happy August!

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201 697 1947

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A Birthday Duet

There are far, far better things ahead

than any we leave behind.

C.S. Lewis

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What could be more fun than celebrating your birthday with your BFF?

This Powerful Goddess was radiant the night she and her lifelong friend made their dream come true of stepping onto the red carpet in style.   Loving family and friends traveled near and far to reminisce and honor these two stars who shine brightly in their worlds, bringing laughter and fun to the lives they touch.  It was a night to remember with a surprise Mamma Mia number that got the crowd dancing!  The gratitude of each guest was palpable, a testament to the Goddesses’ loving warmth, generosity, and inspiration in their strength to prevail no matter what.

As they continue their journey through life’s twists and turns, hopeful hearts hum her favorite tune, Judy Garland’s Somewhere Over The Rainbow:

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There’s a land that I’ve heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.

Someday I’ll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That’s where you’ll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can’t I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can’t I?

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share what you want to find over your rainbow? xoxox

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© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

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Summer Reads

When I read about the evils of drinking,

I gave up reading.  

Henry Youngman

I’m curious to see what book’s in your beach bag!  Click on “Leave a Comment” (left) to add to this reading list for long days and hot summer nights, preferably in an air-conditioned haven for me.  Happy Summer! xoxox

Kiss Me First

by Lottie Mogach.

A web of sex and identity theft entangles a solitary young woman online.

Kiss Me First by Lottie Mogach

The Affairs of Others

by Amy Grace Lloyd.

A widow rediscovers passion and possibility in the knotty/naughty lives of her building tenants.

The Affairs of Others Book

Necessary Errors

by Caleb Crain  

Imagine living in Prague and starting anew.

Necessary Errors by Caleb Crain

The People in the Trees

by Hanya Yanigahara.

Set in Micronesia, a doctor discovers the Fountain of Youth and other dangerous ideas when cultures collide.

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanigahara

Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations

with Peter Evans.

Conversations so real they could only be published way after her death.

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On The Piano

When you play,

never mind who listens to you.

Robert Schumann

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“Why don’t you take piano lessons?” a friend inquired.  I had confessed I’ve been wanting to step up my self-taught oido repertoire but shudder at the dreary chore of classical training.  While I enjoy listening to the elegant classics, I’m more Ella Fitzgerald than Mozart with piano playing.  And would my kids let me get away with “illiterate” lessons when they have been required to read flats and sharps?  I’m not telling them.

I texted their piano teacher, “Would you like a summer student who wants to play like a pro without reading sheet music?”  She’s the hippie improv type despite her classical education so I knew she’d be up for the challenge.  Still, I held my breath waiting for her response the next day.  “That would be fun!” she said.  Whew!

Last week, I sat on her bench and we began, “Show me what you know…”  She taught me how to run my fingers so they don’t stumble all over each other as they discovered nooks among the black and white keys they’ve never been before.  She tells me to strengthen the little used pinkie and 4th fingers, as well as my ear, by doing the tedious scales.  I told her the direction I want to take and she tells me to practice, practice, practice–way before the morning of our next lesson if possible.  I notice days slipping by with no time to touch the keys.  There’s always one more thing on my To Do list, there’s someone sleeping so “Ssshhh!,” and I can already see the men in the house signing a petition to ban my clunky repetitious tune.

No matter, I’ll persist and be my #1 fan.  I could even give procrastinating a break today.  I’ll finish this blog and head straight to the keys (not Florida.)  And guess what’s my beginner piece?  “Summertime,” naturally.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share what new tricks you’re never too old to start learning.

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201 697 1947

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Got Summer (Birthday) Plans?

When you come to a fork in the road,

take it.

Yogi Berra

MOMA Rain Room

My birthday coincides with the 4th of July weekend and here are a few ideas I have in mind to celebrate.  Photos from Google Images:

Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park

Open air dance party with different live orchestras performing the first three weeks of summer.  No heat, no rain, no storm stops this party!  Even if you don’t dance, you’ll catch yourself smiling seeing everyone having a great time under the stars.  Polish your disco shoes and see you on the dance floor for Hustle on July 11th!

Lincoln Center Midsummer Night Swing

A Gondola Ride in Central Park

Pair dinner at the Boathouse with a reservation for the one and only gondola outside of Venice (and Vegas, of course). You’ll feel like the Queen of the World as you glide across the quiet lake banked by foliage you can’t find in Venice. Let the gondolier serenade you with his repertoire of Italian arias as you wonder if he ever asks his wife, “Honey, do these stripes make me look fat?”

Central Park gondola ride

The Ride in NYC

I’m dragging the family to pretend we’re tourists in NYC on this combination sightseeing bus and street theater–not your usual city tour.

The Ride NYC

Rain Room at the MOMA

Sing in the rain without getting soaked at this genius installation by the British design studio rAndom International.  Artificial rain pours down constantly while a dry spot follows you around.  3D sensors detect your presence creating a haven whichever way you go.  Shouldn’t we always feel this lucky?

MOMA Rain Room

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add to this list of fun summer possibilities.  xoxox

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The Tryst

Be kind to your mother in law,

but pay for her board at some good hotel.

Josh Billings

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Now that the kids are home for the summer, I find myself imagining the thrill of a tryst with my man or, at least, being someplace quiet by myself.   A hotel room can be a sanctuary to get away from it all, a cocoon for a private adventure where you can disappear and pretend to be unfindable.  The bed is a blank canvas where a new story awaits to be written.  And at the very least, the simple pleasures of 24/7 room service and clean, crisp sheets we don’t have to launder are extremely sexy–even if the kids must come along!

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add your tips for snagging a fabulous deal at your favorite destination:

1. Loyalty pays.  Avail of perks and benefits of hotel membership which usually costs nothing to join.  Even if you don’t have elite status, it never hurts to ask.  Club Floor rates may be higher but they can offer real value.

2. Bundles. Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity could save you up to 20% when you bundle hotel and flight bookings.  If like me, you like variety in hotel brands, Expedia has its own loyalty program where you earn points for airfare, hotel, and car rentals through their site.

3. Social Media.  Use Twitter to search ongoing deals (enter the hotel name and “deal”).  Introduce yourself with a “Like” or announce your enthusiasm for your upcoming visit on the hotel’s Facebook page.

 

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xoxox

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201 697 1947

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Mask of Perfection

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A serious Leica collector I love forwarded an article from their blog that makes you think.  It features these beautiful black and white portraits of young gorgeous women with pre-operative marks on their faces before procedures they’ve undergone in the pursuit of “perfection.”  They are subjects of a photo exhibit Mask of Perfection by Marc Erwin Babej, with Maria M. LoTempio, MD.  From the Artist’s Statement:

Mask of Perfection focuses on the complex and ambivalent relationship between the beauty we perceive subjectively on the one hand, and the plastic surgeon’s scientific, geometry- based standard of beauty on the other. 

The currently emerging ideal of beauty is unprecedented in that it is actionable, and that conformity to it has become widely available. Lips like Angelina Jolie; breasts like Scarlett Johansson; a butt like Kim Kardashian; less slanted eyes like a white woman; a wrinkle-free complexion like a cosmetics model? Available at a plastic surgeon near you. In other words, the emerging beauty ideal not only reflects changing taste, but represents a radical shift in the understanding of beauty itself. Conformity to an ideal of beauty used to be a daydream; now, it has become a line item on a shopping list. Whether this development is liberating or cheapens the concept of human beauty (or both at the same time) is a matter of individual judgment.

Click on “Leave a Comment” to share who decides what’s perfect for you.

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xoxox

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For the Love of Luxury

Men like cars, 
women like clothes.
I like cars because they take me to clothes.
Rita Rudner
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Father’s Day is a good day as any to pick up a lesson or two from men and their more relaxed attitude towards luxury and money.  Following is an excerpt from Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way” on the importance of pampering–and when she speaks of art and creativity, I think of life itself.
For those of us who yearn to be creative and refuse to feed that hunger in ourselves so that we become more and more focused on our deprivation–a little authentic luxury can go a long way.  The key word here is authentic.  Because art is born in expansion, in a belief in sufficient supply, it is critical that we pamper ourselves for the sense of abundance it brings to us.
Luxury is very often a shift in consciousness more than flow–although as we acknowledge and invite what feels luxurious to us, we may indeed trigger an increased flow.  Creative living requires the luxury of time and space for ourselves and pampering can take many forms.  For Gillian, a pair of new-to-her tweed trousers from the vintage store conjured images of Carole Lombard laughter and racy roadsters. For Jean, a single sprightly Gerber daisy perched on her night table told her life was abloom with possibility.  Constance found luxury in allowing herself the indulgence of a magazine subscription.  For Kathy, it is a deluxe Crayola set, “the kind my mother would never get me.” For Berenice, the answer is fresh raspberries.  (And there’s fun, too, in taking luxury literally like this Powerful Goddess here!)
All too often, we become blocked and blame it on our lack of money.  This is never an authentic block.  The actual block is our feeling of constriction, our sense of powerlessness.  Art requires us to empower ourselves with choice.  At the most basic level, this means choosing to do self-care… Forget high minded aspirations.  What sounds like fun?
Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share your favorite indulgence.  Have many luxurious days long after Father’s Day!
xoxox
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What Would Grace Do?

I have to be seen to be believed.

Queen Elizabeth ll

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Vogue’s April issue featured a tribute to the movie The Rear Window.  Nicole Kidman angles for an Oscar with the movie Grace of Monaco this December.  That Hermes bag is still highly coveted over half a century after Grace Kelly was first seen with it.  Starting out as a model before charming Hollywood and capturing the heart of a Prince, Grace Kelly’s signature style of neatly pinned hair and pale tailored outfits endures.

Her Royal Highness inspired the timeless portraits of this Powerful Goddess here. Even Grace would kiss the ground this woman walks on for being a down to earth inspiration of generosity and joy.  If you were lucky to be blessed by her friendship, you’d be even more impressed to know that this lovely queen of her domain does not delegate the care of her own hearth and home.

For those who want to behave, flirt and live like Her Highness, What Would Grace Do? is in bookstores now (Gotham Books, $26).   Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add to this list of Her Grace’s movie classics:

  1. High Society.  Her musical comedy starring Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.
  2. High Noon. Kelly does a Western with the conflicted Gary Cooper.
  3. To Catch a Thief.  As Alfred Hitchcock’s favorite muse in her Hollywood days, Grace stars in these 3 classics.
  4. Dial M For Murder.  Another Hitchcock film.
  5. Rear Window. Arguably one of Hitchcock’s best, Grace stars with Jimmy Stewart.

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201 697 1947

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Myth Masque

If one is lucky,

a solitary fantasy can totally transform

one million realities.

Maya Angelou

 

xoxox

Erin Layne, the glamorous organizer of the Myth Masque

LA Myth Masque Erin Layne by Sharon Birke

Just got back from an incredible weekend in LA catching up with family and friends, reflecting on our life journeys, leaving me shaking my head in amazement as we recounted stories of improbable synchronicity that had blessed us in dire straits.

After watching The Great Gatsby movie on Saturday night, I felt like I stepped straight into a more fantastic version of a Gatsby party when I chanced upon the 2nd annual Myth Masquerade Ball.  I thought I was headed for The Edison club downtown, but my curiosity drew me to the church behind it with purple lights and loud music streaming through the windows. A queue of people in fancy whimsical dress at the gate and a horse carriage ride circling the block roped me in even further.

“Is this party open to the public?” I inquired. A fairy godfather appeared with a spare ticket to sell–then he gave me a mask, too, in case the party police required one. How lucky can a Goddess get?!

Myth Masque was my dream come true of a party, an enchanting mix of high fashion and high fantasy.  I was thrilled to be swept into a sea of elaborate gowns, headdresses and costumes, each more ornate than the next from space age to renaissance to fairy tale.  Polling those with the most fantastic ensembles, many were proud to say they had created their own outfit. It was a glorious celebration of divine imagination–for where would civilization be without this?  Thank you to all who made that unforgettable evening happen, a most richly satisfying visual dessert that had me smiling all night and long after.

Click on “Leave a Comment” to share how you’ve embraced the impossible–like I did using my iPhone for very low light photography here.

xoxox

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A ship sails the bejeweled high seas

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Alice in Bellydance Land

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Gotta Facebook!

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Even this mermaid had to take a break from posing by her clamshell to post updates

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On stage

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The truly Bella Electric Strings Trio

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And a full moon added to the magic, too!

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201 697 1947

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Great Gatsby

I thank God everyday for my life

and you would, too.

Alexis Bellino, Real Housewife of Orange County

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Can’t wait to see The Great Gatsby movie as I love the high style and ebullience of the flapper era.  If I had a dedicated suitor who woos me with lavish parties and treats, my husband beware! 😉

As an observer of human nature like Nick Carraway, I am impressed to hear about a plain and plump mother of four (obviously not this Powerful Goddess here) who lives in a creaky old house with one bathroom.  I asked, “Is she happy?”– thinking that for all my optimism, I need certain comforts.  I was assured she glows from being adored by her affectionate children and husband, holding hands even when they watch TV and still spooning as they sleep after 30 years together.   I think of how some women with greater material wealth live with far less contentment and I’m reminded of what I call “The Great Leveler”–our tendency to compare and make ourselves miserable dwelling on what isn’t, what we don’t have, what can’t be.  And we’re not just comparing ourselves with next door neighbors these days.  Reality TV raises the bar each week, fueling our discontent with indulgent husbands and the fairytale lifestyles of “Real Housewives.”

Great Leveler or not, there is some comfort in knowing that we actually hold the key to our bliss.  In every moment, we have the power to choose gratitude and seek the gifts of what is, what we have, and what can be regardless of what life brings.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share your greatest blessing.

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201 697 1947

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A Kiss for Rodin

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Like the great sculpture Auguste Rodin, dance and movement inspire me.   Throughout his career, Rodin produced several interpretations full of sensuality or eroticism, seeking to express emotion through muscular movement and saying, “The sculptor must learn to reproduce the surface, which means all that vibrates on the surface: soul, love, passion, life.”   

The passionate love of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta portrayed in Dante’s Divine Comedy was the theme behind Rodin’s The Kiss, a blend of eroticism and idealism in the form of two lovers emerging from the highlights and shadows.  Because he adored nature, Rodin turned to women as his main subject of observation. Depending on the young women who posed for him, he chose postures likely to give her body the most expression.  I love that Rodin’s approach to sculpting women was a tribute to bodies, not just submissive to men but as full partners in ardor.  My photography pays homage to his quote:

 I do not create.  I see.  

And it is because I see that I am capable of making.

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My favorite piece in the Musee Rodin in Paris is this small but eloquent La Valse (The Waltz) by Camille Claudel, Rodin’s much younger student, muse and then mistress.  When he left her, she destroyed many of her works and eventually died alone in a psychiatric hospital.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share one good reason why a (talented) woman should lose her head over a man?  Sigh!

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© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

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Secret Garden

My mother buried three husbands,

and two of them were only napping.

Rita Rudner

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I love Spring!  Each bloom and bud a reminder that I, too, know instinctively how to grow, that there is wisdom in being patient with my own seasons, that I can choose to move towards the light with no time to waste worrying whether my petals are too big or if I’m the best bloom in the garden.

From Deepak Chopra’s classic The Book of Secrets:

It is very freeing to know that on some dimension or other, every event in life can be causing only one of two things:  Either it is good for you, or it is bringing up what you need to look at in order to create good for you.  There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities.

Evolution is win-win.  Cause and effect aren’t just linked, they are linked in the most efficient way possible.  Many good things come from bad decisions while many bad ones are tangled up in our good decisions.  Life is self-correcting in just this way.  As the choice-maker you can act on a whim; you can follow arbitrary or irrational paths.  But the underlying machinery of consciousness doesn’t alter.  It keeps following the same principles, which are:

To adapt to your desires

To make you aware of what you are doing

To show you the consequences of your action

To keep everything in balance and harmony

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share how you’ll bring yourself flowers on Mother’s Day!  xoxox

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201 697 1947

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Lucky Guy

Sometimes I’ve believed 

as many as six impossible things

before breakfast.

Lewis Carroll

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Two decades ago, my husband confidently announced the wedding date he had chosen guarantees that he will always remember our anniversary.  Lately, giving him frank reminders 2 weeks prior and 2 days prior only made me feel like an iPhone alert to no effect.   So the night before D-day, I finally asked, “Do you want to go out tomorrow?”  He was still sweetly oblivious to the occasion and asks, “Why?  We’re going out with friends this weekend anyway.”  Grrrr!  I finally confronted my laptop to make dinner reservations and grab the last 2 seats to Nora Ephron’s latest (and last) Broadway play, Lucky Guy starring Tom Hanks–which my Prince Charming had summarily dismissed as unlikely at the last minute.

My daughter woke me up too early the next morning with a three course breakfast on a rolling cart, complete with flower candles, hot tea, and a printed menu.  She couldn’t convince her dad, the early bird, to get over his aversion to breakfast (and lounging) in bed, so she and I fed each other the meal she has lovingly prepared.  She lay her head on my tummy and asked if I remember how a decade ago she was floating around in it.   I meant it when I told her “You are my best anniversary present!” expecting her usual “I know.”  Instead, she said, “I’m your gift for putting up with Dada!”  And so very well worth it!

Lucky I don’t heed my mom’s advice to “marry him first and change him later.”

Lucky the qualities I married him for are still the same qualities I love about him today, despite seeing the other side of the coin.

Lucky I’ve learned to keep eyes open to the beauty of the one I wake up to everyday–because wouldn’t you know, being married to Mr. Early Bird means I usually wake up to me!

Click on “Leave a Comment” to share how you’ve been so lucky.

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© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Email Me

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

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The Origin of Shoes

My shoes are so high that when I step out of them

people ask “Where did she go?”

and I have to say, “I’m down here.”

Marian Keyes

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Before Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin, or Jimmy Choo, here is an ancient story of how shoes came to be invented from Coming to Our Senses by Jon Kabat Zinn:

Once upon a time, a princess took a walk and stubbed her toe on a root sticking out in her path.  Vexed, she went to the prime minister and insisted that he draw up an edict declaring that the entire kingdom should be paved in leather so no one would ever have to suffer her pain.  Now the prime minister knew that the king always wanted to please his daughter in any and every way, so there was a good chance he would actually want to fulfill his daughter’s wishes.  Covering the kingdom in leather might save everybody from the indignity of stubbed toes and make the princess happy, but this could also be problematic in many ways, to say nothing of expensive.

Thinking quickly (I won’t say “on his feet”), the prime ministers responded:  “I have it!  Instead of covering the whole kingdom in leather, Your Highness, why don’t we craft pieces of leather shaped to your feet and attach them in some suitable way?  Then, we will still enjoy the sweetness of the earth, yet wherever you go, your feet will be protected when it touches the ground.”  The princess was well pleased so shoes came into the world and much folly was averted.

Click on “Leave a Comment” above left to share how shoes and possibility thinking have saved you.

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© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Contact Me

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

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xoxox

Song of the Flower

I am a kind word uttered and repeated

By the voice of Nature;

I am a star fallen from the 

Blue tent upon the green carpet.

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I am the daughter of the elements

With whom Winter conceived;

To whom Spring gave birth; I was

Reared in the lap of Summer and I

Slept in the bed of Autumn.

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The plains are decorated with

My beautiful colours, and the air

Is scented with my fragrance.

As I embrace Slumber the eyes of 

Night watch over me, and as I

Awaken I stare at the sun, which is

The only eye of the day.

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I am the lover’s gift; I am the wedding wreath;

I am the memory of a moment of happiness;

I am the last gift of the living to the dead;

I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

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But I look up high to see only the light,

And never look down to see my shadow.

This is the wisdom which man must learn.

Kahlil Gibran

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© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

PowerfulGoddess@me.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

xoxox

Thank you, Wendy Boiardi, for fabulous makeup!

Fresh From the French Press

The best thing about London

is Paris.

Diana Vreeland

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Who says your closet is the only place to find something to wear for glamour portraits?  This Powerful Goddess looked in her mailbox instead!  The day’s headline happened to be perfect for this charming British native who has been a hip Parisienne in the past decade.  I huffed and puffed struggling to keep up with her boundless energy as she zipped nonstop through venues that were meaningful to her.  Then she headed off to pick up the kids from school and assume the mommy hat (beret?) the rest of the day.  How does she do it?  All I know is that I needed a giant nap afterwards!

With her cheerful optimism, there’s no guessing that this brave woman is in the middle of a life transition that would throw others into a tizzy.   I am in awe of the courage and strength packed in her petite frame, her ability to graciously welcome another stage of growth, exploring career possibilities while juggling her roles as woman and mother.   One of the great blessings of my work is meeting inspiring women like her and being appreciated for the love I put into what I do.   She told me she adores photos with the 70’s finish so I gave her portraits that faded polaroid look.  A very special hug and merci beaucoup to this Powerful Goddess for showing me the true meaning of “Avec plaisir!”
xoxox
Click on “Leave a comment” (above left) to share who/what gives you pleasure.
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xoxox
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© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

PowerfulGoddess@me.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Old Polaroid Portrait by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com
xoxox

Scene on the Seine

It’s good to do uncomfortable things.

It’s weight training for life.

Ann Lamott

Mark III (my camera) and I are off on another European honeymoon, photographing who and what make us happy.  Friends who have never traveled or dined solo ask, “How do you do it?”  I say it’s my fun version of silent meditation, time to play voyeur–like watching reality TV without the TV, listening in on conversations in a variety of languages I don’t understand.  It’s about curiosity and freedom in solitude.  Even if you don’t travel for work, every mom should leave their adorable cutiepies home at least once a year and give herself the gift to go wherever she wants, wake and sleep when she feels like it, and pay attention to her own pleasures.

First stop, Paris!

With all the walking up and down countless staircases in buildings and metros, gym membership is unnecessary here despite the baguettes, croissants, and frites. Getting lost is the perfect excuse to ask for directions and practice speaking French–I’m just amazed that some locals don’t understand their own language?! 😉  Today I felt like I won the megamillion lottery finding someone off the street who spoke English and knew the train transfers to get me to a little known destination for which I had mapquested the wrong address.

And you know what’s so great about  traveling when it’s still chilly?   Your toes are too numb to feel how much they hurt from all the walking!

Paris Travel by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

What I love to do in this town:

Tear up (or snore) listening to live classical music at the glorious Sainte Chapelle

8 Boulevard du Palais 75001 Paris
01 53 40 60 80

Paris Saint Chapelle by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Drool over well heeled desserts…

French high heels in chocolate by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

…and chic Pariseinnes!

Paris Travel by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Dine fancy like

the Cristal Room at the Baccarat Museum

11,Place des Etats Unis

(Ok, this one’s not that close to the Seine)

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Gape at the architecture

Notre Dame at night by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Stroll through the Tuileries and walk for miles and miles

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Catch some Louvre

or my favorite is it’s petite neighbor, the Musee des Arts Decoratifs

107 Rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris
01 44 55 57 50

Paris Travel by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Do a little dance at

Le Caveau de la Huchette for swing dancing with the locals and a live jazz band–it’s a cave of a wine cellar below street level.

5 rue de la Huchette

Barrio Latino for salsa (not next door to the Seine)

46 Rue du Faubourg St. Antoine

Paris Salsa Barrio Latino by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Travel back in time and read some at Shakespeare & Co. while someone may serenade you on the old piano.

37 Rue de la Bucherie 75005 Paris
01 43 25 40 93

Paris Shakespeare & Co. bookstore by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glimpse my future European mansion

Paris Hotel de Sully by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Stay away from the Eiffel–

except when it glitters at night

and toast it with fresh squeezed orange juice and Salad Chaillot at Cafe du Trocadero.

8 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre 75116 Paris
01 44 05 37 00

The Trocadero is where you get the best view of the Eiffel.

Paris Sightseeing by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Without the Eiffel, wonder what else might be Paris’ icon?

Paris Vespa by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Stalk a mystery Frenchman 😉

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And pose for a self-portrait

(You know I mean my reflection on the glass window, yes?)

Paris Travel by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

An early Happy April Fool’s and a bientot!

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share what thrills you in the City of Light.

xoxox

© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

PowerfulGoddess@me.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

xoxox

Feminine Mystique in History

I have a brain and a uterus

and I use both.

Patricia Schroeder

Old World Glamour Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

“I’m the best cook and baker.  I love to clean the kitchen and do the laundry.  My husband will be so lucky!”  My daughter beams.  I squelch the “Yikes!” I feel inside and smooth the wrinkle between my eyebrows.  My mom once sported a chic bob with a thriving banking career that helped send 5 children to college.  Now she looks like a farmer’s wife with hair as long as the skirt ordained by the fundamentalist religion my dad has adopted since they retired.   How innumerable have a woman’s choices grown since the days of illiteracy and candlelight?   How few do we consider possible for ourselves anyway?  And how strong is our need to tell others what we believe is right for them?  All for their own good, of course!

To bring to a close Women’s History Month, I thought I’d pick up on a conversation Betty Friedan started half a century ago in her book “The Feminine Mystique”–which remains relevant despite certain biases in perspective.  Staying home has become an option even for men.  Women can choose to be single, childless, work, pay someone to  have or raise her kids.  We may make our own money yet our financial independence remains hostage to the sway of media and commerce that thrive on feeding our fears and insecurities.  As for personal fulfillment, who really wants to be that responsible?  It’s far more convenient to blame someone or something else for the choices we (don’t) make.  So the mystery continues…

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to give a big hug to the teacher or advocate who ignited your power to choose and write your own history.

Old World Glamour Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

 

 

Old World Glamour Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

 

Corset Glamour Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

PowerfulGoddess@me.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Money and Women by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

xoxox

Romance and Fools

Life Is Too Short–So Kiss Slowly,
Laugh Insanely, Love Truly,
And Live With Passion.

Andy Vogt

Paris Romance Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

If there is truth in Oscar Wilde’s line that men want to be a woman’s first love while women want to be a man’s last romance, where does this leave a woman who discovers she isn’t?  I laughed and cried through If I Were You, a film starring Marcia Gay Harding as a long married woman who serendipitously saves the life and career of her husband’s mistress.  They agree to do what the other says (including pretending that she, too, is having an affair) and they end up starring in a Shakespearean production with Marcia as King Lear and the mistress as the  King’s Fool.

Lear’s Fool is a blend of wit, shrewd innocence, wicked glee, truthful humor and devotion.  It represents our freedom to challenge assumptions we hold dear about justice, the nature of humanity, and the rules of society.  Lear blames everyone and everything for his sorrow (except himself, of course) until he is caught in the middle of a storm stripped and alone.  “Is man no more than this?,” he asks over and over, “Who am I?” then for the first time, places his Fool’s comfort before his own.  Losing everything we hold dear and losing our wits clear the fog of petty pretenses, false virtue, ambition and indifference to what truly matters.

Click on “Leave a Comment” above left to share how you romance your own Fool.

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Paris Romance Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Paris Romance Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

 xoxox

© Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

PowerfulGoddess@me.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Paris Romance Portraits by Sharon Birke www.PowerfulGoddess.com

xoxox

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