No diet necessary. Gorge yourself here. The more you get the better you look. Words of wisdom to change your day ... or your life.

DAILY PAUSE QUOTE

THANKS FOR THE GREEN SOMBRERO
by Shirley Pierce

I have a confession to make. I haven't always been chic, sophisticated and well- dressed. (Okay, let's just say well dressed.) When I moved to New York in my youth, everything about my look screamed "Ohio". At best, my taste in clothing in those days was tailored and tasteful. The nuns who saw me through puberty would have been proud.

But then I met Rick. A boisterous, hefty soul who tossed my peter pan collars and knee length skirts to the wind and taught me at least a hundred and one ways to accessorize with a scarf. Rick not only dressed me for Broadway openings and Hollywood parties, he also decorated every home I've lived in on both east and west coasts. In his presence, I felt like Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

Then Ric was diagnosed as HIV positive. I remember the day he told me. With a shrug and a smile he announced, "I'll live ‘til I die."

And he did. I remember the last day I saw him smile. There was this enormous green sombrero wafting through the crowd at a swap meet. The sombrero was so big that it flopped lazily in the distance. Upon approaching this hysterical head gear, I found, to my surprise and delight, that Rick was wearing it, looking like a cross between "Pancho Villa" and the "Flying Nun". And he was smiling. He was no longer hefty but his grin was as wide as the sombrero that engulfed him.

What a lesson that was. As he had promised, he lived every day to its fullest until he died. I was asked to speak at his memorial. I wore a tasteful St. John coat dress. I think he would have approved.

Why am I writing about Rick this month? Because Dress Me Now is sponsoring runners in this year's Honolulu Marathon to raise money for AIDS Project Los Angeles. The media spotlight has retreated but APLA remains on the front lines for those in need.

Why are we doing this? Why are we supporting those spending an unnatural amount of time on ice packs and Power Bars?

Our team will run 26.2 miles to break the silence many of us maintained during the deaths of so many people we loved. They will run to stop young women who are again engaging in dangerous, unprotected behavior. They will run for the women and men who are fighting HIV. And they will run for the children who are infected every day.

You, too, can choose to help. Go to the Training Program's Web site at www.aidsmarathon.com.

Sponsoring a team is our way of thanking Rick for the most important thing he ever taught me. More important than accessories. More important than style. The lesson? Life is for living fully and joyously ... now. This one's for you my friend. Thanks for the Green Sombrero.

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