A woman with a bit of life about her

She has an opinion. A story. Probably a slightly inappropriate one.

She laughs easily. She notices things. She has excellent taste in some areas and questionable judgement in others.

She may have a great mascara in her handbag and absolutely no idea where her sunglasses are.

She has lived enough life to know that perfection is terribly overrated.

There is just something about her.

She has a little life about her.

But what does that actually mean?

It isn’t necessarily about having the most exciting life in the room. It isn’t about being the loudest, the most glamorous or the woman with the most impressive collection of holiday photographs.

Sometimes it’s much simpler.

She’s interested.

She’s curious.

She’s got a way about her.

And she has learned not to take every little thing quite so seriously.

SHE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

Not necessarily an opinion on everything.

But she has opinions.

About food. Music. Clothes. People. Restaurants. Whether coriander is acceptable. Whether a particular shade of beige has gone too far.

She isn’t trying to win the room. She simply knows what she likes.

And there is something rather refreshing about a woman who can say, “I don’t know about that,” and leave it there.

No committee meeting required.

SHE HAS STORIES

A woman with a little life about her has accumulated a few stories.

Some beautiful.

Some ridiculous.

Some that begin with, “Well, that was a great idea at the time.”

There are holidays that didn’t go to plan, relationships that taught us something, outfits we should probably never have worn and nights that seemed like a good idea at the time.

There are friendships that changed us, jobs that tested us, decisions that worked out beautifully and others that became valuable lessons in hindsight.

You don’t get a little life about you without collecting a few stories along the way.

And usually, the best ones aren’t the polished ones.

They’re the ones where something went slightly wrong.

SHE DOESN’T TAKE HERSELF TOO SERIOUSLY

This might be one of the most attractive things about a woman.

She can laugh at herself.

She can be polished and still fall over.

She can have excellent taste and still buy something completely ridiculous.

She can spend an hour getting ready and then decide she looks better in jeans.

She can have a beautifully considered skincare routine and occasionally go to bed without taking her makeup off.

Because she is a woman.

Not a lifestyle brand.

There are days when she has it together.

And days when finding the car keys feels like the main achievement.

Both count.

SHE HAS A LITTLE MISCHIEF

Not trouble.

Mischief.

Knowing when to make the joke.

Ordering dessert when everyone else says they’re full.

Wearing the lipstick that is perhaps slightly more than necessary.

Saying yes to the invitation when you probably should go home.

Staying out later than planned.

Dancing when there isn’t really any dancing happening.

Laughing until you can’t quite remember what was so funny in the first place.

At twenty-five, rebellion might have involved staying out until three in the morning.

Now, sometimes rebellion is putting your pyjamas on early, cancelling dinner plans and feeling absolutely no guilt about it.

And sometimes it’s quite the opposite.

It’s getting dressed up, going out, staying out far too late, laughing until your face hurts and completely losing the plot for a few hours.

Because getting older has its advantages.

You know yourself well enough to know when you want the early night.

And when you want to go out and have a ridiculously good time.

Both are perfectly acceptable.

In fact, knowing the difference might be one of the great privileges of getting older.

SHE HAS BEEN A FEW WOMEN ALREADY

We’ve been the girl who wanted to fit in.

The young woman figuring things out.

The mother, partner, daughter, friend, businesswoman, carer, worker, dreamer.

We’ve been ambitious.

Exhausted.

Heartbroken.

Certain.

Completely wrong.

We’ve reinvented ourselves more than once.

And somewhere along the way, something happens.

You stop trying quite so hard to become the woman you think you’re supposed to be.

You start becoming the woman who is actually you.

Not finished.

Just more yourself.

SHE STILL HAS A LITTLE CURIOSITY

This might be the secret.

She hasn’t decided that she knows everything.

She still wants to try things.

See places.

Meet people.

Change her mind.

Learn something.

Wear a different colour.

Read the book.

Take the class.

Order the unfamiliar thing on the menu.

And occasionally wonder what would happen if she did the thing she probably shouldn’t.

Curiosity keeps life interesting.

So does a little common sense.

The two seem to have reached a comfortable arrangement.

SHE KNOWS WHEN TO FOLLOW GOOD ENERGY

She notices when something feels good.

A conversation that leaves you lighter.

A person who makes you laugh.

A spontaneous invitation.

A beautiful morning.

A song that changes your mood.

A day when everything seems to fall into place for no particular reason.

She doesn’t need to explain every good thing.

Sometimes you just enjoy it.

And if a little luck happens to wander past at the same time, she’s certainly not going to send it away.

SO, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A LITTLE LIFE ABOUT YOU?

Perhaps it means you’ve lived.

You’ve learned.

You’ve laughed.

You’ve made a few dubious choices.

You’ve changed your mind.

You’ve collected stories.

You’ve developed preferences.

You’ve become more comfortable with who you are, while remaining curious about who you might become.

It means you still notice things.

You still find things funny.

You still get excited about a really good meal, a beautiful dress, a great mascara, an unexpected afternoon off or a little run of good luck.

You haven’t become too sensible to have fun.

And perhaps that’s the point.

You don’t need a spectacular life to have a life with a little something about it.

You just need to be in it.

Present enough to notice.

Brave enough to participate.

Curious enough to keep going.

And perhaps just mischievous enough to keep things interesting.

Because a woman with a little life about her isn’t necessarily the woman who has done the most.

She’s the woman who has lived her life with some personality.

A little wit.

A little curiosity.

A few good stories.

And just enough mischief to make you wonder what she might do next.

Now that’s a woman worth knowing.