I have a white summer skirt that has an “embroidered” black design.  I wore it Thursday for the first time this summer.  It is gathered at the waist and quite full, kind of a peasanty look.  I think the word for it is dirndl.  I wear it with a black top that fits tightly around my midriff. 

There are a lot of things about my body that are imperfect, but I have a great midriff.  As I pirouetted in front of the mirror, I thought to myself,  “You don’t look so bad for an old lady.” 

Skipping down the stairs, I was hoping Peter would notice, but he was too deep into the crossword puzzle to look up.  But no matter—in my first meeting of the morning, one of my colleagues said she wished she could wear a skirt like mine.

And that’s when I heard my mother’s voice saying, “You should always wear full skirts.  Being tall, you can ‘carry’ them.”