My Week of No Experts

I said that I was going to talk about witches this week, but instead I’m going to talk about my witchy attitude.

You know, there are a lot of opinions out there. The number of self-proclaimed experts is incredible.

I’m actually getting confused about which expert I should listen to — there are so many of them telling women what they should do to improve their looks, thier minds, their cooking. Those opinions leave me with more questions than answers.

Example: Should I take calcium, or is it actually bad for me? Should I wear my hair shoulder length with a square jaw, or should I cut it? Should I weigh what I did in high school, or give myself a 10 lb cushion for every decade since (I prefer that recommendation)? Should I cook with less fat? Or, better yet, should I start cooking?

Should I diet, or try to “live-it”? Should I do Pilates, Yoga, or Yogalates? Should I wear high heels or flats? Should I simplify my wardrobe with a lot of black or wear bright colors to show my personality?

I’m confused, so I am going to conduct my own mental sit-in strike. I’m not going to listen to any experts for the next week. If someone starts a conversation with “I heard the most interesting thing on television today” I am going to plug my ears and sing.

For at least one week, I refuse to listen to any person who is trying to tell me how to improve.

I am not going to try to make my hair less frizzy, or my eyelashes thicker, or my veins smaller, or my teeth whiter, or my skin less wrinkled.

I am not going to try to improve my grammar, or read a new informational blog, or think about getting an advanced degree.

Instead, I am going to be happy with me, just like I am.

I may not have the thickest of lashes, but I don’t really bat them at people very often, so I’m no concerned.

My wardrobe might be a little drab, but it fits and most of my clothes are comfortable. I’ll just let my personality add the color (or the off-color, depending upon my mood).

I might not exercise on a regular basis, but I walk my dog. And that makes us both happy.

And I might watch too much mindless television at night, but it’s the way I relax. And I like the simple tips from HGTV, like find a house with a lot of natural light that has good space for entertaining. Simple tips that I don’t have to write down.

A week of no experts. Now that’s a week I can live with.