The other day while I was doing the wash, I decided to take a break and sit in the sun on my back porch. I was surprised at how my little petunia plant was coming back to life after a challenging year. I could relate. I purchased the petunias when they were in full bloom over a year ago. They were glorious. Then, as life is, my sister came to stay with me and the porch became a storage unit. The petunias were moved and then knocked over. I tried to pull them back together, but it looked like they were a goner. They started and sputtered but never really regained their former glory. Exactly like I have been feeling, a little bedraggled and not quite myself. Well, this weekend, my petunias burst back to life, as you can see in this picture. I took it as a sign that I needed to kick myself back into gear.

     There are only a few times a year, three to be exact in Maureen O’Crean’s book of life rules where the world gives us permission to have a fresh start. The most apparent by all standards is New Year’s Eve, closely followed by the Spring Equinox and last, but in my book certainly not least is September.

     Maybe it’s because I could always count on new shoes in September. Aside from an Easter outfit, in our family of 4 kids, September meant something new and just for me. I couldn’t count on clothes because my sister was 2 years older, so that meant hand-me-downs. But shoes and a new box of crayons was something I could count on in the middle child squeeze.

     The other thing I could count on in September was a new class, new teacher, new friends and a chance to start over. It’s funny to me now, how seldom we seize the opportunity to start over, to be the woman that we truly wish to be, for today. Maybe that’s the reason why some people have secret lives. Good girl Mommy by night and secret agent during the day when the kids are at school and spouses are at work.

     Really, as women with all the obligations we have on our plate, it is important to have a little bit of a secret life. A place where we can be anyone we choose to be in the moment. If you are shy by nature, this could be the place where you are an extrovert and share with strangers your deepest wishes and desires. You can step into those shoes you’ve been dying to try, like author, jewelry maker, stain glass artist or photographer. You can take on a new adventure in September and no one even notices! We have all been trained from the time we were 5 years old to go back to school and take on some new learning. Now we get to do it consciously and for fun.

     Deep in my heart lives an Italian woman. Soft and round, sexy and voluptuous, flirtatious and seductive. You wouldn’t know it to see me every day because I am sooooo responsible. I look respectable. Women don’t gossip about me, men don’t follow me with their eyes, which is good when we’re at the high school back to school night. But don’t you think there should be a place in life where we can be the headline of a tabloid scandal? For me, it is in the local adult school taking Italian lessons.

     This September I am preparing my way to go to Italy in the Spring. Don’t ask me how because that part hasn’t been revealed as yet. I long to see the brush strokes on Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam on the Sistine Chapel. My heart bursts like the grapes on the vine in Tuscany for the beauty of a simpler life. It wouldn’t hurt to run into George Clooney on Lake Como, but that part of the fantasy will remain private to protect the innocent.

    But there is a secret to having a fresh start. You must put your good ideas into action. Here's my September action plan:

• I've signed up for Conversational Italian at our local adult school.


• I'm taking a class in creating a tour at my local community college, online! My class project is a Diva trip to Italy, The Tuscany Divas, No Carb Left Behind Tour ala Eat,Pray,Love, but our own version. Stay tuned!


• I'm hitting the treadmill at least 30 minutes a day for the next 30 days. I'm not into the marathon like Dream Diva is, who is my inspiration by the way, but I can do the treadmill.

     Will you come and play with me? I’m going to be playing this one full out and will post my weekly progress on my blog, The Distinctively Diva Dish . Make sure you leave your comments posted so we can play together.

     Now is the perfect time to begin anew. You can change your life and let your Diva out to play, just because you say so. I will never forget a poster that was posted on the door of a classroom at my son’s elementary school. It read,

     “When you enter this door you can be anyone you choose to be. It doesn’t matter what your parents tell you who you are, or your friends or well meaning strangers. When this door closes, you get to tell us who you are, and who’ll you’ll be today.”

     I remember thinking the first time I read it, wouldn’t life we great if we could leave the past behind us and start fresh. Diva, your door is waiting. Step through it and be the woman that you long to be. You are worth all the gems of the earth. You are special and unique, beautiful and vibrant. You are perfect just the way you are. It’s yours to claim. Click your heels together three time repeating, “I AM Diva, I AM Diva, I AM Diva” and start you're own comeback today.

    As for me, if it's September I must be shoe shopping. Have a Happy Life.

Diva Party Line For September

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 7pm PST, 10 pm Eastern

Meet Cathy Alessandra, President & Founder National Association of Entrepreneur Moms and What's Up For Kids, LLC

I'm so excited to introduce you to a woman who I have long admired, Cathy Alessandra. Like many of you, Cathy has many plates in the air; wife, mother, entreprenuer, volunteer and business owner. Keeping the plates spinning requires MOJO, and Cathy not only has plenty, she is happy to share her secrets with us.

Cathy is the author of Momentrepreneurs Rock with MOJO, 5 Keys to Finding (and keeping) You rs! Here is what Cathy says about MOJO:

'When I hear or use the word MOJO, I think of being bold, having passion, courage, and being on top of my game. I always thought of being filled with mojo when I felt my best—inside and out! My hair just right, clothes looking sharp and sexy, daily exercise and eating right. When those things were in place, I would rock with mojo in other parts of my life—making sales calls, talking to clients, juggling the family needs, and volunteering.'

Register on line at www.distinctivelydiva.com/index2a.html and find out how you can score a free copy of Cathy's book on the call.

Intuitive Tuesday With Sandi Athey
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 7pm Pacific Time

Join us for a look inside ourselves to see what blocks we might be putting up to our own success and happiness. Sandi is the former host of Psychic Healing on Baltimore's Talk Radio WCBM. You can find out all about her work at www.sandiathey.com

Sandi is not a psychic in the traditional sense. She does not do predictions on future events. She works with her clients to help them see their present more clearly. Register at the site www.distinctivelydiva.com

      Are you a Queen of the Divas in your neck of the woods? Email Queen Info for more information. We'll help you get your group started with Meet UP.

      The Diva Word for the Day is FRESH

Did you ever notice how a freshly painted wall could lift your spirits? Or the lift you feel when you can smell a freshly mowed lawn or the earth after a gentle rainstorm. Fresh is God's plan for renewal of the Human heart and it is available to you in the blink of an eye. You are the holder of your life's remote and you can push the fresh button whenever you choose. I know we don't think like that in the real world, but it's true. When your feet hit the floor tomorrow morning, declare a new start for yourself. See the world with fresh eyes. Savor the wonder right before you which has become tarnished by the toil of life. In this moment, right here, right now, you can begin again. You don't need anyone's permission but your own. Leave the past behind you and begin anew. Start to live your past on a 'Need to Know' basis like the CIA or FBI and Diva, no one needs to know! Give yourself a FRESH start and birth your inner Diva.

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