Category: LighterSide Column

So someone forwards me an email with “Then & Now” photos of famous film and television stars. I think whoever created the email wanted to shock readers in how much these stars have changed from being in their prime to being, well, older. But instead of prompting me to think, “Look how old they look!” I thought, “Look how great they look!” Continue reading “Aging Gracefully”

Ain’t technology great? Now we can share our happy, exciting and even most embarrassing moments with the whole world with the tap of a key. Laptops, smart phones, emails, texting, photos, videos, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Skype: the possibilities are endless.  Continue reading “15 Minutes of Fame”

Today, I’d like to discuss something we all need, and that’s balls. That’s right, balls. I’m not talking about footballs or bowling balls or tennis balls. I’m talking about testicles. Cojones. The Brass. Now you’re probably asking, “WHY, oh WHY, Bella, are you bringing up this topic?” Continue reading “Grow some Balls!”

I had a great time yesterday hanging out with friends (male and female) and talking about anything and everything. The conversation took a heated turn when one friend, “Haley,” mentioned a book she is reading which describes three types of men. I and the other female in the group, “Rhonda,” urged her to tell us more. Continue reading “Personality Power”

Have you noticed the glut of self-help books which have a number in the title? It’s a marketing ploy which has been around a while and doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon. Continue reading “The Numbers Game”

I read four articles on four different actresses this week which left me shaking my head again at how women are labeled according to their figures. Continue reading “Go Figure”

A round of applause goes to Plus Size Model magazine for their recent “Love Your Body” issue. In an effort to put a stop to body shaming (i.e. celebrities being criticized for being too fat, too thin, too this & too that), Continue reading “Love Your Body”

So plenty of us have had to deal with the “the other woman” – you know, the person with whom our ex-husbands and ex-boyfriends cheated on us. As if finding out you’ve been cheated on isn’t heartbreaking enough, actually seeing this person makes the misery even worse. You compare your looks and personality with hers, angrily asking, “What does he see in her?” and “What does she have that I don’t?” then later shed tears that somehow you failed, didn’t measure up to the task of keeping his interest. Never mind the fact that he’s a cad with no sense of fidelity; you think that somehow you are to blame for his wandering. Continue reading “The New Woman”

I get sick to my stomach every time I hear about another incident of bullying in schools and online. The numbers of news reports on bullying, of parents getting involved when schools do nothing, and “bullycide” are staggering. Continue reading “Bullying – Power Play Which Knows No Age Limits”

A lot of my readers are in the U.S. and are celebrating their Thanksgiving holiday this week, so I want to focus this post on being thankful. It’s easy to focus on our problems and what we don’t have, which causes us to miss the blessings we do have. When we do recognize those blessings, it causes us to see life in a whole new light. Continue reading “Giving Thanks”

Lately I’ve been watching a lot of 1980s television shows on DVD and online. Two things strike me. One is how early to mid-eighties fashions have cycled back into style. Seriously, you can buy a new outfit in a store and then hop in a time machine back to 1983 and look perfectly on trend. Continue reading “Weighing In”

In the last post I talked about the lies we tell ourselves and how they harm our realities. These lies are based on assumptions about other people and what we think that they think. Sometimes wrong thoughts/lies are rightly called, “stinking thinking.” It’s made up of “I can’ts” and “But what ifs.” Continue reading “You Are What You Think Part 2”

You are what you think. It’s another phrase we’ve heard repeated but one we don’t take to heart or put into practice. There are tons of self-help and spiritual books on the market which convey the same message, but I think most of us just don’t take time out of our busy lives to stop, sit, and think about what we think about. Continue reading “You Are What You Think”

Don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s a short yet powerful saying at which we all fail. Every day. Unfortunately, with the advent of the Internet, the whole world can share with our failures when we post them online or on Facebook. For example: Continue reading “Judging a Book by Its Cover”

Once in a while I look around at my life and take stock of all I have. I’ve been blessed with great kids, good health, a lovely home and a job that’s fulfilling. Having a marvelous boyfriend is the icing on the cake. I really can’t complain. Continue reading “Settling”

Have you heard that American country song, “Cleopatra, Queen of Denial”? It came out about twenty years ago but its painful lyrics still ring true today: Continue reading “Denial”

In a previous post, I opined about the lack of manly men on television and the big screen and how I longed to see the return of manly characteristics in real life and how we should raise our sons to exemplify these traits. I also promised to pick on the ladies about ladylike traits, so it’s our turn. Continue reading “The Return of the Lady”

I’ve been watching lots of old movies and TV shows lately and noticed a huge difference between male characters then and now. I hate to put it this way, but a lot of male characters are just . . . whiney. Crippled with issues. Whimpy. Rude. Continue reading “The Return of the Man”

I was at my grandmother’s for a visit when she got a phone call which changed the tone of our family fun. A friend needed a safe place to stay after she reported to the police officer that her husband threatened to kill her. Continue reading “Abandoning Abuse”