Now, as the radical new "truths" about the new economy seem less true, I realize that I needed more grounding in the old economy before I tried to understand the new one -- even if I "demanded" something else.
In one episode, the iconic designer imparted the following wisdom: "As I get more confident and less insecure, I realize that you have to stand for who you are".
However, now that I've gotten older and less cynical, I realize they are also as much an irrevocable part of the Austrian soul as Schnitzel and big-bosomed ladies, and as good an excuse for drinking spirits after dark as they come. .
"Don't Worry, Baby" is one of my favorite songs, and I liked it only a tiny bit less when I realized it was about drag racing.
As the highs became less intense, I realized Ecstasy wasn't going to be enough to keep us from floating down to earth after all.
As for things that were once a ton of fun and have of late become less so, I realized that, sadly, it isn't as much fun as it once was to write for the Huffington Post - simply because it's not inspiring to write essays for a public that doesn't appreciate your story.
As a 73-year-old woman who continues to work as a consultant, I am less than amused when I realize that my harsh tax burden -- which includes paying Social Security as an employer and an employee as well as paying taxes on the Social Security payments I receive -- takes up the slack for the corporations that do not pay any taxes.
The money's been good, but the pretty jewelry has becomes less enticing the more I realize that it's really a ball and chain.
When I was younger, I would try to erase where I come from, but as I grow older and care less of what others think, I realize I can't.
Same goes for my father, who often quotes the lyrics from "Yentl" by legendary Alan and Marilyn Bergman: "The more I live, the more I learn; the more I learn, the more I realize -- the less I know".
