Marwood Lake Near The Woods.

I was in traffic this week and a huge lorry was just ahead of me it wasn’t transporting anything at the time, but just behind the driver’s head was the huge words Marwood, it was massive I knew instinctively, that it wasn’t the company name but something that was important to the driver. That lead me to think about identity.

A few days ago on Facebook there was a picture of a family of dogs, they all sat up looking handsome, yet each of them were a different colour, one was black, one was white, another cream, and the forth one was brown, it had the title, “We are the same animal, racism is stupid.” I thought of the dogs, all looking the same but a different colour, and us humans, who are the same from the inside, with the same kidneys, hearts, liver, appendix, blood groups, etc.

We although look very different to each other, with different coloured hair, eyes, height and weight, we all want to show what defines us, our identity, that makes us, us. My god-mother often wore navy and white, to show she was a Conservative supporter and lavender perfume, the Personal Trainer who works with us, often wears legging, that shows off her amazing figure, anyone else at work would look silly in the same thing, but they suit her. A young man I know, was just ordinary but then he had to go and have his face tattooed, which I thought was silly really, but that’s him trying to stand out from the crowd.

I also work with a goth, she in general wears black clothes and dyes her hair she too has large bold tattoos, but she explained to me recently she has them at special conventions, where the tattoos are done by famous tattooist, who are unknown to you and I, but those in the know, would know by looking at her, would know who the artist was.

Hair styles can make one stand out from the crowd, I was in a shop yesterday and I saw something I’d not seen in my whole life and I dear say you haven’t either, a young woman had her hair in dreadlock extensions all the way down to her ankles! WOW! That would get on my last nerves, all day and night. I’m sure she has got them caught in doors and on escalators, many times. I looked at her, I had to, but she must get stared at wherever she goes, and she carried on talking to her friend like there was nothing extraordinary about her.

My Husband has his nose pierced and many people asked me when we were courting, “Will you have your nose pierced too?” I said, “No, why should I, I’m not Paul.” But part of my identity is to have only one ear pierced and most of my friends and colleagues don’t know for years until I point it out to them or suddenly one day after many years they notice, and say, “Do you know you have an ear ring missing?” I reply, “I only had one pierced.”

I love people watching, and love looking at what they are wearing. I love handbags and shoes, and I sometimes say to someone who is in the queue in front of me, “I love your handbag,” They reply just as excited, “So do I,” And from there we will have a short happy conversation.

Sometimes I look at others with their cool outfit and think I wish I could wear what they wear, but it wouldn’t be me, I love to see thumbs rings, but it wouldn’t suit me, but I think it really suits men and women who wear them, just one on a thumb not on both thumbs.

Yesterday I was watching telly late, and saw the fab Taeyang a huge singer in South Korea, he was in the very successful Korean band called Big Bang until he went solo. He said, of going solo, “I knew I’d be able to express my personality,” He said of the up and coming artists who want to be famous in Korea, “It’s hard to find their own individualism, as society still wants kids to do what their parents want.” He looked SO cool, from top to bottom, even later on when he went out for a meal with the man who was interviewing him, he ate his meal cool, like a popstar.

I was watching tonight the fab programme, “The secrets of the Royal dressmakers,” All of the royal brides and after they got married, wanted to look good and dressed to show their identities, they didn’t want to fit in exactly but they wanted their personalities to shine through. So, when they found a designer who they liked they stayed with him for many years.

I love to wear linens and leather jackets, I have SO many handbags and shoes, you can never have too many, if I have a bad hair day I have hats that I love to wear, that suits me to a T, and most of my clothes and accessories I buy from Tkmaxx , I love to layer my clothes, the long dress on first, then the medium length dress and then then finish off with the much shorter top, all in the same material, linen some call this the lagenlook, I always have lots of positives comments, plus it hides a multitudes of sins, tummies.

I love it when people are confident in their own identity and are not fazed by what others think.

I saw a car sticker recently it read, “Am I driving well? Tell my Mum, she worries” How sweet is that, it made me smile.

When I got home, I looked up Marwood and it’s meaning, it said it meant, lake near the wood, it is also the middle name of John Cleese.

So how about you? “What defines you?”