APPEARANCE EQUALS SELF-RESPECT

If you are like me and you like looking at pretty things, including  pretty, well-dressed women this is a little reminder not to forget ourselves. The French have a lovely expression when looking at a beautiful woman –  ‘se rinser l’oil’  – it means ‘to feast your eyes.’

And if you tell me that I am putting too much emphasize on appearance, stop and think a minute – doesn’t the first impression influence us in forming an opinion about a person? Of course this is nothing new.

Here are a quotes going back as far as the eighteenth-century.

‘Dress changes the manner’  – French philosopher Voltaire   voltaire

‘People who can’t get  it together are uninterested in themselves’  – American designer Halston

‘A respectable appearance is sufficient to make people more interested in your soul’ – French Designer Karl Lagerfeld

The clothes we wear send a message about how the world perceives us’ – Tim Gunn from Project Runway (Maybe it was one of your favorite programs?)

Now looking our best does not happen by itself. Not even the models smiling down at us from the pages of magazines get up in the morning looking glamorous. But we all know they have a lot of help before they are photographed for the pages of Vogue. And even women who are not models, and that is most of us, need a little help. And the person to help you, is you.

Take some time to create the picture you want the world to see   —  and wouldn’t it be nice if somebody would feast their eyes on you?

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And never forget- A Smile Changes Everything!

2016-01-27 12.40.02 (5)Brigitte

 

 

 


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IS BEING MULTILINGUAL THE ANSWER?

This is the result of a study done in Luxembourg. A country where, through proximity of other countries, people speak at least 2 if not 3 languages – German, French, Luxembourgish.

The study was done by Magali Perquin of the Department of Health and it concluded that  compared with other countries the percentage of older people with dementia is lower in Luxembourg, 3.8 % against 6.4% in Europe, 7.1% in Latin America and 8% in Canada.  They believe there is a strong possibility that it is the result of people speaking several languages.

It has long been said that challenging the brain with mental exercises like Crossword Puzzles will help to keep individual brain cells alive. But maybe doing crossword puzzles is not your thing? Therefore, could learning French be an option?

No, it’s not too late. Quite the contrary. It might be the answer to the question many older or retired people ask – how can I find a new purpose or an activity to occupy my time? And if it is not French you want to learn but you wouldn’t mind speaking another language, think of your vacation or travel plans – going to Italy next? Wouldn’t it be nice to order your dinner in Italian?

An added advantage to taking classes – no, not  on-line- will be that you meet other like minded people – and you never know who you might meet and who is ready to go to Italy too!

couple in luxembourg

And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything

Brigitte