Lana Maryé Morelli

It’s summertime, the days are longer, the weather is warmer and the clothing is scarce.    Part of this can’t be avoided, when its 90 degrees outside it’s impossible to not be in anything beside shorts and a tank top.   Truth is, if you were walking around with a hat, scarf and gloves, people would think that you’re nuts. So, there is a skimpiness to summer that is undeniably acceptable.  Hey, I will be the first person to trade in boots for flip-flops, a jacket for a tank top or pants for shorts … and it’s only a certain time of year, a small window of time, where you can wear a bikini and sheer cover up to a beach restaurant/bar and still be considered “ dressed .” So the clothing is minimal and for the most part, this notion is socially acceptable. But, then there are the trends that push this acceptance.  The skirts that are “ cheeky ” or the tops that push you up, out, and cause you to spill over.  This sleazy-push appears to be coming from the...

This weekend is Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer [Enter: Sigh of relief] Summer means no more snow, no more cold nights and no more bundling up in jackets, scarves or hats. Summer means running around in flip-flops, short shorts and tank tops. Being able to drop the top on your car, open the sunroof or roll down the windows. Summer is a time when we’ve replaced hot cocoa with ice cream; Christmas lights for lightening bugs and warm blankets for sandy beach towels. Instead of being hit in the face with cold air as you walk out your front door, you’re hit with a heat wave that smells faintly of honeysuckles and swimming pool chlorine. The days are longer and it just seems like the nights are more fun! ;) We are more likely to venture out for happy hour or hang with friends at a barbeque. We are more apt to travel, plan road-trips or an outing. Summer means more freedom and fewer restrictions because the weather is working with us, not against us. But above all of t...

Mother’s Day is Sunday. It’s the Hallmark-official day when we are required to celebrate our mothers. In theory it’s nice. It says, “On this special day in May, make sure you tell Mom how great she is.” Okay we can live with that… but in reality; it doesn’t fit into such a neat little box…  If you are a person who has a strained relationship with your mother, then Mother’s Day is not exactly your favorite time of the year. Truth is, not everyone has the Mrs. Brady mother type. You don’t have to get a license or pass a test to procreate, therefore, some people, who aren’t quite suited for the job, end up becoming mothers. So for those people, the day is awkward, forced and fake. You participate because you feel obligated. If you are person who lost your mother, (especially if it’s recent) then Mother’s Day is painful. You don’t want to be reminded that you are without a Mother to celebrate. If you are a person who has been trying to conceive a child, but have been unsuccess...

Keeping up with the Joneses, just another “ THEY ” we feel compelled to follow. So, maybe that is why our society is so apt to embrace change. Why we rush to obtain the new and cutting edge. Maybe we’re all just trying to keep up. My question then is have we taken this too far? Newest trend in the past 2 decades—tattoos. (Yes I know people in the military, motorcycle organizations, etc… have been getting inked for a long time, but only recently has it become universal) To the younger generations (we 20somethings), tattoos are not only acceptable but have grown to be somewhat of a norm. I think this is largely in part because we are striving to individualize or make ourselves unique and independent from “ everyone else. ” But, for some this new fad, the obsession with ink, is just another way to keep up with those damn Joneses. Either way, if you’re getting your ink in a clean reputable establishment, and you’re willing to tolerate the extended stare ( sometimes snarl ) of the olde...

In our 20something years we are figuring ourselves out and trying things on for size. We are interviewing people we meet. With new friends it’s to decide if they are the type of person we want in our inner circle. With dating, we interview people to decide if we want a relationship with them. For work, we interview for jobs to see if we want a particular career. So, with all of incessant Q & A circling around us, we have heard that dreaded question time and again. The one that makes our palms sweat and heart race. Where as soon as the words are uttered, we feel instant anxiety. It’s awkward and heavy and most of us cannot conceive to think about the answer… but it is frequently asked anyway. “So where do you see yourself in five years?” [GROAN!]   We stumble over our answer while frantically trying to organize our thoughts. With trepidation we try to formulate an “acceptable” answer. I want to stop here and point out that I hate this question. So I am taking a stand, an...

Next Thursday, April 22nd, will mark the 40-year anniversary of the first Earth Day! In the 1970’s, that generation, (the “hippies” if you will) created the radical “go green” movement. They hugged a tree and with that started a legacy and a holiday that carries into 2010. “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,” that’s their slogan and their mission: to keep the planet clean for the next generation (that would be us). I think we have done a good job of carrying out this legacy. Today, you’re an oddity if you don’t recycle. We encourage eco-friendly habits; Electric cars like the Prius or Hybrids; reusable containers and Tupperware; trendy reusable bags from our favorite retail and fair trade grocery stores like Trader Joe’s. We read news headlines online and have paperless paychecks and bills. We are environmentally friendly and we’ve made our parents generation proud. They were wise enough to see the potential danger that a wasteful life could have, so, they opened their mouths, made so...

Easter is on Sunday. For 20something’s and adults that means we have to hit the gym because Spring is in full force and Summer is just around the corner. For children it means something much different. For them they look forward to the Easter bunny hopping up to their door leaving them hidden colored eggs and a basket full of candy. It’s so cute and warm and fuzzy….right? WRONG! Why in God’s name do we adults continue to convince the innocent children of the world that a life-size bunny hops around the whole world in one day distributing eggs and candy? When we really think about this, logically it’s bizarre and creepy. But this is only the start. What about Halloween? We tell kids not to talk to strangers and never to accept a gift or food from someone they don’t know. Yet, on Halloween, we encourage them to dress up in a costume, walk up to a stranger’s front door and tell them its okay to take the food. See a Mixed Message here? Then there is Christmas …we express to chil...

“Pictures don’t change only the people in them do.” No truer words have ever been spoken. I look back at pictures of my life, elementary school, high school and college. In all of the pictures as the camera clicked I am smiling, arm around my friend du jour, thinking, “It will be like this forever”. Some of the pictures are with friends who are still my “true blue” today, but some are with people who are no longer in my life. Some I’ve had a “falling out” and some it’s just because “life gets in the way.” My Mother is from Long Island, NY, born and raised. She relocated to Philly years ago, but when she gets on the phone to talk to her “Long Island Girls” she is always emotional when she hangs up. I remember being very young and seeing tears in her eyes as she hung up the phone. I asked her what was wrong and she replied “Oh nothing is wrong, I just miss my girls.”  I remember being perplexed by this comment. It seemed easy enough to me, so, I added my adolescent...