The Dress

THE DRESS

Ladies you know the one.  It is in your closet for special occasions when you want to look your absolute best but to put the damn thing on you look like an injured octopus attempting to slip your body parts though the maze of straps, arm holes, neck hole and beads. 

(If you’re lucky). Then once you are finally in it you realize your arms are not near long enough and your fingers tiny enough to grab the 20-inch zipper and get it fully zipped.  If you manage to get this far then there are the hooks, that final piece of the puzzle that holds everything firmly into place without the zipper exploding. 

Imagine being on the verge of falling apart when after many years of your life you have no one there to simplify the process for you.  Your partner is no longer there to zip The Dress, clip the hooks and then help you with the final touches like your jewelry.

You are on vacation, when the realization hits you and it comes flying at you with such force and intensity that there is no way in this universe to stop the actual physical pain in your heart that then moves to your stomach and then forces a monsoon of tears to flow out of your eyes and down your face ruining the make-up you so carefully put on before attempting to put on THE DRESS.

When you lose your significant other no matter what the reason the ways in which it changes your life are deeper and much more complex than most can understand. 

Being a single woman after years of having a partner with all the kids gone as well is daunting.  It forces you to change who you are and how you function daily. 

If you see a woman who is Dressed to the Nines and is recently alone do your best to understand the emotional and physical struggle it likely took her to show up looking her best. 

As simple as it seems that woman had to muster all the emotional strength she could find to not just give up on The Dress and stay home.

The Dress

Is a Representation of Her Inner Strength to Not Loose Her Identity Because She is Alone

Colleen Marie DeShazer

9.24.23