Maybe it's the way she flirted and posed for the camera, even winking as she adorably crossed her legs slowly and deliberately for every photo from age six to 96, as if she were the most beautiful and important person in the world.
And for as long as I can remember, that's just who she was: the most important and beautiful woman around, and always the youngest person at heart. That always made her look young and attractive.
Advice from my grandmother to always look young and attractive
Maybe it was the way she knew how to get the best seat at any quality restaurant on a Saturday night, and without a reservation.
Sounding a bit like Bette Davis on a good mood day, but looking more like Betty Grable, she would say, "Now, don't you tell me you don't have room for a pretty girl like me with this personality?" shyness.
It worked great every time.
"Follow me around," the waiter replied, while she gave me a knowing smile, as if to say, "I hope you're taking notes, baby."
Or maybe it was the way she laughed, that happy laugh that captivated everyone who heard it, as it was authentic, abundant and attractive to the fullest because of its sincere, sing-song, unpretentious and utterly infectious sound.
Anyone who can remain beautiful and young in their ninth decade on this planet is someone well worth listening to. That's just what my grandmother, Anna Lee, did until her last day in the early middle age of 96.
Think Betty White with a dash of Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball, and that's just a hint of how much the "itch" factor played into my grandmother's entire being. But I think what really made my grandmother a beautiful woman and look younger than her years was her attitude about life and the way she conducted herself in it.
"If you can't laugh at yourself, no one is going to take you seriously," he once casually exclaimed as he cut roses from his lush, overgrown garden.
When I was a child, she took me out for walks to museums, to fashion shows; We enjoyed tea time with her friends and spent long lunches with interesting and fabulously exotic people.
One of my last memories was when he called to tell me that he was going to buy a new swimsuit: "Would you like to join me?" I wonder. She loved wearing new holiday outfits every season and the men at the Senior Center were looking forward to it too, and she didn't have the heart to keep them waiting.
Of course, she had been married twice and lost her second husband about 25 years before, and now she was a confirmed and happy single, living each day to the fullest without anyone's measure.
I'm sorry I didn't go shopping for a bathing suit with her that day, but I will never forget one of the last things she said to me.
“Well honey, I just hope you take the time to buy yourself something nice too. It's something that certainly does a lot of good for a girl. "
Grandma, you still do me a lot of good, and for all your wisdom and advice that I treasure and now pass on to my own daughters, it can be said that we are very grateful.
20 tips to look young and attractive from someone who knows how to do it
1. Take care of your figure closely, because if you don't take the time to do it, no one else will. My grandmother watched what she ate and exercised, but she also knew how to wear a dress like no one else.
2. Avoid spending time with people who complain of feeling old. They just take you down with them and make you feel old too. Instead, surround yourself with people who feel and act jovial, both inside and out. Seriously, she lived by this rule and only kept the company of positive and enlightening people.
3. Exercise every day, no matter how tired or lazy you feel. Just moving around will make you forget how tired you are, and pretty soon, you'll have more energy to do all the fun things you really want to do. She played golf, swam, danced, or walked almost every day of her life.
4. Travel whenever you are able. Seeing the world and discovering how other people live adds life, love and clarity to your years. Well in her 90s, Anna Lee was traveling abroad to fabulous and exotic places at any time.
5. Take the time to plan the wonderful things for the future, this will give you something to look forward to in which you feel hopeful. Every time I spoke to her, she had something new to talk about what she was going to do, both before and after.
6. Be extravagant from time to time. Whether it's eating a very fancy piece of chocolate cake, wearing something too attractive for you, or eating at a very expensive restaurant once a year, this can make you feel happy and young. She could be seen eating a small piece of dark chocolate every afternoon while sometimes wearing a low-cut sweater.
7. On a daily basis, eat what you want, drink what you want, and express what you want, but all with a degree of moderation. He didn't get drunk while enjoying a martini, although he could have danced a bit more for that.
8. Flirt with life, not just with men and women, but with all that life has to offer. This will make you look young and attractive, optimistic and excited to get out of bed every day.
My grandmother enjoyed flirting with any man in uniform, and I'm sure if she were around today, she would be flirting with my boyfriend and at the same time flirting with the idea of buying new shoes.
9. Surround yourself with lively, intelligent, fun and interesting people who love to be around you, do not settle for anything or anyone. On one occasion, I witnessed my grandmother talking to a man with a mustache who spoke with her in Italian about a book she had just written, while smiling at him all the time.
10. Be spontaneous. When you do something out of the ordinary from moment to moment, it can make you feel alive and young. She was known for announcing unexpected trips and excursions to the beach.
11. Never feel sorry for yourself. It is a waste of time and a waste of your life. And it also bores people to tears. Not once in all my years did I hear my grandmother complain about her life.
12. Take your time to get beautiful to look young and attractive. You can't feel so depressed and fabulous at the same time. She went to the hairdresser every week; she died a beautiful blonde with highlights, came out with a perfect hairspray.
13. Prove yourself regularly by doing wonderful little things, especially if they seem unnecessary and frivolous. This will remind you that you are wonderful, and when you feel wonderful, you just feel better. She often frequented special bookstores and could also be seen shopping for shoes and hats on cold winter days.
14. Never say or think that you are "too old" to do anything. This is a self-fulfilling prophecy; you are only as old as you decide to be. My grandmother was the first person to voluntarily do anything that seemed juvenile. That made her look young and attractive without a doubt.
15. Live the way you feel is your real age, not what others tell you. If you're feeling 16, keep that energy up and you'll feel like a teenager for as long as you're willing. She could make everyone around her always feel young like her.
16. Every morning when you wake up, tell yourself that you are beautiful and wonderful while looking directly in the mirror. Anna Lee actually did this, and she also sang to herself on occasion.
17. Read a lot of stories that teach you a lot about what other people have been through and will inspire you. It will give you the perspective of how well you are really having at that moment. My grandmother was absolutely obsessed with history, especially novels about English royalty and romance.
18. Just kidding, it makes you look young and attractive. As soon as a negative thought comes to mind, make a habit of substituting a joke or humorous anecdote for it, watch a funny movie, or call a positive friend.
19. Get dressed. Whether you are a man or a woman, never hang around all day in your bed clothes. Get dressed, brush your hair, and lift your spirits. Within half an hour of waking up, my grandmother had her heels on, her face and her hair brushed and smelling of caramel, made her look young and attractive and with an enviable glow even for the youngest.
20. Pay attention to children as they know how to be happy, young and carefree. You should know this, I was lucky to be her granddaughter, and she paid a lot of attention to me and my three daughters.
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