Please won’t somebody dance with me

Start up a romance with me

Just someone to care

Someone, somewhere for a dance with me

This is an homage to my good friend singer/songwriter Lynsey de Paul.  We went to school together, met when we were 8.  At 25 she wrote this song, went on to write many others.  This one won her an Ivor Novello award, British equivalent to a Grammy.

Lyndsey was petite and spirited, a blonde bombshell, chased by many famous suitors, all of whom wanted to marry her, chased in later life too, and then, one day she went into hospital, lingered for a day, had a brain hemorrhage and died, aged 66.

She was the most healthy, fun loving, full of life lady you could ever meet.  But oh boy was she  demanding!  If she needed you for something and you didn’t answer the phone, she would call you ten times, and even after you said yes, another ten.

Why am I telling you this?

Old?  What’s old?

We are so busy judging ourselves that it won’t matter what YOU think, I won’t even hear you.

I too want a real man.  I want to be swept off my feet, even if you’re too old to pick me up and carry me across the threshold of our new life.

As an over 70, I want you to live your best life.  I tell myself every day, because you never know what’s round the corner, like Lyndsey.

Please do what you want, every day.  Give yourself permission, you’re allowed.

Monday I’m going to the plastic surgeon.  I started dabbling 15 years ago, never thought I’d be that person and now I’m ready to do more.  I want people to say, not noticing,

`Oh did you get a new haircut?’ 

One day I’d had some work done on my face and went round to my mother’s house a few days later and she noticed nothing.  But then she didn’t like me much, so she didn’t study me too closely.

You can move to another country, I did aged 65, and opened my first business. It was damn hard.  I left behind my four-bedroom Victorian house, my jeep on the driveway and squeezed myself and my many many clothes into a one bedroom apartment.

Why do I have so many clothes?  My brother owned clothing stores worldwide, he opened one here in New York and yes, I indulged.  One time the CEO met me in the Oxford Circus store, so iconic it made the tourist lists of places to visit in London. The list would go, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, and Oxford Circus Topshop.  The CEO told me off:

`You’re spoiling our demographic.’

`What do you mean?’ I asked puzzled.

`These are clothes for young people’

`Who says? I can wear what I like.’

Indeed I can, I’m still wearing my sequined jeans,  my brightly colored strappy tops and dangly earrings.  High heels, not so good, my feet got old and tired.

Once I moved to New York, I started to attract younger men.  I always dated younger men, in fact until recently I hid my age, now I don’t.   I’m 21 at heart anyway.

So look after your body.  I went vegan a year ago, I love it.  Don’t have that puffed up feeling, and best of all, vegan’s so easy.  I ask myself,

`What shall I eat today?  I know, fruit, vegetables, tofu, nuts.’

Less choice, happy life.

My house is pill-free, I met a homeopath in London in 1980.  Now I only take homeopathic remedies, and supplements.  After all, if you have a headache and take a pill it doesn’t make your headache go.  It just tricks your brain into thinking you don’t have a headache.  You do!!

I wake up early.  Sleeping seems to get harder as I get older.  Funny that, as I should have less worries. So I take pictures of the beautiful sunrise, every morning.

I’m still looking for `the one,’ I’m never giving up on love. Have you ever met anyone and it’s clear God sent them to you as a gift, and I’m not God fearing.

The universe is magnificent, and even if God sent him, if he’s not the one, move on.

It’s like a checker-board.

Yes, men are still out there.  Are they on dating apps?  Yes, they’re on apps with age appropriate names like Silver Singles and others. Try it.

And when you try it, speak from the heart.

Be your best spokesperson, let them know you’re `it.’

Be bold, you can tell one on yourself, makes you human.

If you’re sad, say so.

And if you just need someone to listen, say so. I will tell a guy, please just listen.

Men hear `fix it, they want to make things better.

Sometimes, in the telling, I find the answer, just in my own words.

Don’t feel abandoned, I have felt abandoned long and hard in my life, from young.  Find the strength in yourself, it’s not out there, it’s inside me and inside you.

Thank your past, don’t dwell on it, and mine is dwell worthy, believe me.  The past is passed.  Leave it there, girl.

Be funny, I love funny.  It’s like the elixir of the gods when I make someone laugh.

Forgive yourself, messing up is OK, everyone does it.

Forgiveness is taking responsibility for your actions.  It’s not an admittance of guilt, nor is it taking the blame.  They know what they did, but I want to set myself free.

If by now, your almost grown-up kids complain, tell them you lost the mum training manual, and please my dear children - stop complaining.

They say Elvis left the building? This may be true, even if your fear didn’t leave the building.

WHAT? I hear you say, you’re waiting for the fear to go?  It won’t.  Feel the fear, and do it anyway, you know you can.

And above all find someone to dance with you.