Day Night Double Header: Game Two

Last Sun-Dee I wrote about my morning out, Game One of my day night double header; dressing at the local YMCA, meeting Michelle for an appointment with her accountant, doing some work at Michelle’s salon, and then trying on some cute heels at Dee-Signer Shoe Warehouse. 

To-Dee, Game Two.

I’m always looking for opportunities to go out dressed. That night, the Canadian rock band, The New Pornographers, were playing in St. Louis. This would be my second time seeing them, both times dressed (the last time was in Melbourne, Australia, in February 2020, just before Covid struck) and my fifth concert dressed (I’ve also seen U2, Bruce Springsteen, and The National, and lately a sixth, Al Stewart, to be chronicled in future Sun-Dee).

With lots of outfits, and too few places to wear them, I tend to be “adventurous” in my clothing choices when attending concerts. With a new addition to my wardrobe–certainly adventurous enough, a $5 juniors dress with a see-through panel in the torso–which I bought during my recent trip to Durham to visit my GG friend Renee.

Renee urges me to expand my comfort zones. This was definitely one of those expansions–but I really like the dress and how I looked in it–and was eager to wear it somewhere. I paired the dress with fishnet stockings and my booties, my current go-to choice for my bottom half. The stockings are fun, not too hot, and the booties are comfortable to walk in. To complete the look, I wore my black fake leather jacket.

When I shop for concert tickets, as I’m generally going by myself, I usually try to find an area with a few empty seats. Although I’ve never had an issue, I am never sure how people will react to me. For this concert, being it was a small venue, finding an empty row wasn’t an option. I had people on both sides, but the upside was I sat in the third row, so I had a great view of the band. 

The concert was good, and, as usually, no issues with my attire. An added bonus was the parking garage where I parked wasn’t staffed when I arrived, so I got to park for free. After the concert, following a few selfies in the garage, my nightcap was to visit a downtown casino for about an hour, where I managed to win $2 playing video poker.

Two times out, wearing two new dresses, is my idea of sweeping a double header. 

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D-I-Y/Dee-It-Yourself

My suggestions so you can Dee-It-Yourself for a better and a happier life

Steps to follow to find Happiness 

Last Sun-Dee I wrote about choosing happiness and how you always have a choice of how you react to life’s events.

A couple of weeks ago, this set of tweets by Kevin Bass, @kevinnbass, came across my Twitter feed. I am reproducing those tweets in their entirety. 

In the Harvard Grant Study, the world’s longest running and most comprehensive psychological study, the five most mature, healthy defense mechanisms associated with higher life satisfaction were:

1. Altruism: focusing on others’ wellbeing

2. Humor: making light of difficult or stressful events or experiences

3. Sublimation: turning anger or frustration into productive energy

4. Anticipation: maintaining a realistic view of the future and its difficulties

5. Suppression: consciously suppressing unproductive and distressing thoughts

The other overarching message of this book is that resilience counts. Men with the most mature defense mechanisms defined as altruism, humor, sublimation (finding gratifying alternatives to frustration and anger), anticipation (being realistic about future challenges), and suppression (yes, “keeping a stiff upper lip”) – were three times more likely to flourish in later life. Furthermore, men with good defense mechanisms were able to alter their paths by developing the capacity for emotional warmth and connection to others despite difficult upbringings or individual setbacks.

I believe this is a pretty good road map to a happier life, and I see multiple examples in my own life how they aid in my personal happiness. 

And when all else fails, there is always retail therapy: buying the right dress or heels–or both, and finding a good place to wear them. 😀