Let your inner beauty shine

You know what? Be brave and show your natural self, ladies. This is me without makeup -- no foundation, no mascara, no eyeliner, no blush, no lipstick...nothing. My skin has uneven tones and a redness to it in some places (if I try to sunbathe, I look like a lobster. I don't tan).

This is me at 53. You can see some silver strands in my hair. But they blend in well, for the most part. My eyes are bluer than this pic would have you believe, but the lighting is funky where I took this. My nose has a weird yellow cast, but again, the lighting wasn't terrific.

Here's my point, ladies: you are lovely just as you are, with or without makeup. Your true beauty is from within. This year, embrace your strength, beauty, uniqueness. Love yourself first, because you deserve it. Show who you genuinely are.

Young ladies, in particular, don't need a man to complete you. If he is an asshole, walk away. Don't change your lovely self. Are you brave enough to show the world who you are, natural and in love with your womanliness? If so, post your pic and tag me or comment here.

Don't get me wrong: I love makeup and wear it often. My birth mother was a hairstylist and cosmetologist, so I probably get my love of makeup from her. However, my true beauty lives inside, and so does yours!

In 2018, let the world see your true inner beauty.

Boo! Hiss! Achilles tendinitis :(.

So, turns out I likely have Achilles tendinitis.

Over the past month or so, I've increased my walking to almost every day (and twice a day, most times) for four or five days a week. As a result of the sudden increase and duration in physical activity, my body—and in particular, my Achilles tendon—went, "Whut?! I'm not ready for this!" So now I have a very painful, stiff, and sore Achilles tendon on my left leg.

The last thing I need to happen is for it to rupture, so I gotta focus on making sure I don't blow it out completely. I'm not going to stop walking, that's for sure. It's doing great things for my body. Who knew it would be a problem?! Didn't count on this happening!

On the upside, I've lost weight (my son and his GF actually commented on my face being thinner when we Skyped the other day) and I was able to fit into another pair of jeans I hadn't been able to wear for quite a while.

Guess you could say there's a good side and a bad side to all of this. Then again, that's life in a nutshell, isn't it?