Moments of September 2013

Upper Row: 1. Military Glam. 2. Watercolor in Red. 3. Park Picnics and Printed Pants. 4. First Trip into Fall.

Lower Row: 1. Sunny. 2. Killer Whale in the City. 3.Leopard in the Autumn Garden. 4. City Sophistication.

I started this blog partly to capture and share my personal stylish moments, and partly to learn about myself as I go.

I have to say that being 40 feels like a mixed blessing so far. On the one hand, you definitely are much less dependent on other people's opinions about yourself (including your appearance). And it is sooooooooooooooooooooo liberating! I love being 40 for that feeling of inner freedom. 

And on the other hand, and maybe it is not just about being a certain age (and 40 in this part of the world is definitely not the end of life ;) you know, "40 is the new 30" and all that). It is about being a woman. It is about changes in your body and your understanding of yourself. It is about very strong emotions. It is about taking your life to a new level. It is about being bold and daring as never before. It is about awareness of the absolute uniqueness which is you and the fact that the life which you create for yourself is totally yours, and no one else can ever take it in a direction you don't want. And if you don't feel like going the direction you  have chosen for yourself before, it is OK to change your direction as you go. It is always OK to change.

The beauty of being a woman of my age, a woman of  Russian heritage, sensitive, creative, educated and so hungry for being true to herself, living and building her life in America, is the deeper and deeper understanding that life is an everlasting experiment, and there is no right or wrong, and there are no "prepacked" answers. My life is a book which I and only I get to write, every single day of my life, moment by moment.

And I absolutely love being this age for that growing awareness.

Natalia