Historie
Red Hat Society
While
visiting a friend in Tucson several years ago, Sue Ellen impulsively bought a
bright redbright red fedora at a thrift shop, for no other reason than that it
was cheap and, she thought, quite dashing. A year or two later she read the
poem "Warning" by Jenny Joseph, which depicts an older woman in
purple clothing with a red hat. Sue Ellen felt an immediate kinship with Ms.
Joseph. She decided that her birthday gift to her dear friend, Linda Murphy,
would be a vintage red hat and a copy of the poem. She has always enjoyed
whimsical decorating ideas, so she thought the hat would look nice hanging on a
hook next to the framed poem. Linda got so much enjoyment out of the hat and
the poem that Sue Ellen gave the same gift to another friend, then another,
then another.
One
day it occurred to these friends that they were becoming a sort of " Red
Hat Society and that perhaps they should go out to tea... in full regalia. They
decided they would find purple dresses which didn't go with their red hats to
complete the poem's image.
The
tea was a smashing success
One
of the best attributes of the Red Hat Society is its inclusiveness. It is open
to women of all colors, faiths and creeds, as well as all political views. We
Red Hatters deliberately swim against the tide – currently prevalent in our
culture – which emphasizes the differences among us. We have observed that when
people declare their differences, it isn’t long before the volume of the
conversation ratchets up and blood pressures start rising. Frankly, we just
don’t see the point. Any time any one of us needs an argument we can
undoubtedly find one – if not with our husbands, then with our children, our
neighbors, or our co-workers. But most of us have no interest in arguments.
Within the Red Hat Society there is room for every woman who wants to enjoy
life, love people, and look for silver linings. Many stories demonstrate a
number of ways our members have chosen to do these things– together. Though
they probably have different beliefs or views in some areas, they don’t allow
these differences to divide them or ruin their camaraderie. Now if we could just
get the rest of the world to follow our example!
Het handboek van de Red
Hat Society
Je 50-ste verjaardag is
dus een reden om een feestje te vieren en zeker niet iets om tegen op te zien.
Dat is de mening van Sue Ellen Cooper, de oprichtster van de Red Hat Society.
Geinspireerd door het gedicht ‘ Waarschuwing’ van Jenny Joseph begon ze rode
hoeden cadeau te geven aan haar vriendinnen die 50 werden. Kort daarop was de
oprichting van de Red Hart Society een feit. Dit is een boek vol inspirerende
levensverhalen, herkenbare anekdotes en fantastische avonturen. Maak kennis met
de leden van Red Hat Society en ontdek wat zij allang weten: het leven begint
pas na je 50-ste!
Het handboek van de Red
Hat Society door Sue Ellen Cooper is een uitgave van Uitgeverij Arena. ISBN:90 6974 759 6.