It's Wednesday morning and I've kick started the day off with a fundraising breakfast for Breast Cancer at Jeannie and Greg Lacey's home nestled in the bottom of Durie Vale Rd.
What a great idea and hats off to those who organised the event. Not everyone enjoys getting up and seeing the sunrise like I do but at this time of the year it's about 7am, so it's really not that early. About 25 women and a token male (to keep Greg company) turned out to a beautiful homemade breakfast of coffee and tea, pink bubbles, light and fluffy muffins, muesli and fruit salad. For those of us not used to eating breakfast at that hour of the morning, there was good old fashioned toast.
Muffins were labelled with positive words of hope. Pink ribbons were tied on the bottom of our glasses and little words of wisdom were scattered here and there.
We raised almost $400 but if anyone would like to donate to this worthy cause, you can donate at http://breakfast.everydayhero.com/nz/team-durie-vale. Thanks Jeannie for the invite and well done! I hope you girls hit your fundraising target.
Pink Ribbons were first used for Breast Cancer Awareness in 1991 where The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation handed out pink ribbons to breast cancer survivors in a race held in New York City.
In 1992, it formally became the symbol for Breast Cancer Awareness for both women and men. Men can get breast cancer as well but, fortunately, it is rare. The majority of us probably know a female family member or friend that has been touched by this disease.
For centuries, the colour pink has been associated with femininity and all things related to it. You might imagine satin and silk, taffeta and lace, soft scented roses, wild flowers, lipstick, strawberry milkshakes and pink sunsets. It represents a loving caring nature and caring for others, being beautiful, being good and co-operative - I guess the essence of being the dutiful wife. You can imagine a dutiful wife at home in her pink apron, children bathed and in their pyjamas waiting for Dad to come home for work, the house filled with the aroma of a delicious dinner on the stove. That was probably up to about the late 50s-early 60s.
I remember reading a guide to the Dutiful Wife in a journal some time back along those very lines which made me laugh. For years, we have dressed our baby girls in pink and boys in blue. Pretty pink and white dresses finished with lace and ribbons and little white socks with pink shoes. There are pink girly bedrooms, and as girly-girls grow into their teen years, they tend to want to decorate their rooms in purple. Pink in its pure form is magenta and represents gentleness, warmth and unconditional love in its highest form. From a health point of view, it is said to increase blood supply to the brain and stimulates the nervous system. It aids in the relief of headaches, head colds, high blood pressure and chronic tiredness and many other ailments. Magenta can act as a stabiliser for emotionally disturbed and aggressive or violent behaviour, hence pink being used in areas such as prisons and other institutions. Perhaps pretty in pink is why girls are so placid with a sunny disposition all the time.
I can hear some murmurings about that particular comment from my gentlemen readers. Fortunately, we don't all wear pink so we have an excuse for those mood swings and spontaneous changes of heart.
Pink and magenta are colours to be associated with, to calm, revitalise and stay healthy. Definitely a good choice of ribbon colour. If you have questions about issues discussed or product supply, call me on 0276 023 298 or drop me a line on terry@terrylobb.com; www.terrylobb.com (website under construction).