You Glow, Girl

By Margit Detweiler

Hey you! We’re back with a new issue and it’s a hot and spicy scorcher.

Our theme this week is Glow — as in “Glow little glow worm glimmer, glimmer.” As in fiery pink and orange lights blazing across a June night. Embers in a summertime campfire. The afterglow from some afternoon delight. Al fresco dinner by candlelight, feeling flushed with some red, red wine. Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (G.L.O.W.) power slams, then and now. The dazzling rainbow of Pride. Fireflies. The light in a child’s beaming face. Our own ambition, our own happiness, our own dynamic glow.

When we hit that midlife mark we think we lose a certain glow — a rosy, just-pinched freshness. We sallow. We fade. That’s oh so much bullshit. I turned 50 last week, and have never felt a more intense inner and outer glow. Maybe it was resurfacing a year after a scary health crisis, maybe it was singing karaoke and then getting an unwanted lap dance (don’t ask), or maybe it was that final shot of Fish House Punch (whose idea was THAT?).

But perhaps, more powerfully, it was the warmth of being surrounded by friends and family and the culmination of so many moments in 50 years of life —big flames, little flares. I felt it in my soul.

A glow is steady, it’s a brilliant aura, it’s the result of something beautiful, strong and persistent. At our age, we know from glow.

As an aside: this edition of TueNight was the first theme we truly crowd-sourced from our Faceboook group TueNighters (we had sweat, spice, and glow won out.) If you’re so inclined, join us on TueNighters to discuss fashion fails, binge-worthy tv, aging aches and pains, and much midlife-y goodness.

Here are this week’s stories — we’ll be reading a few more live tonight. You can watch live here:

• Penny Wrenn talks about the greatest voice of all time, Vandross and his “Glow of Love”
• Stephanie Gangi deconstructs an old photo with an otherworldly glow
• Diane DiCostanzo on that midlife power-surge called le hot flash
• Carolyn Edgar allows herself to feel the glow of happiness
• Alice Bradley discovers a terrifying, edible glow
• And Tanya Tarr, inspired by G.L.O.W., kicks some ass in Thailand

Enjoy the summer and turn on your heartlight,

Margit

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