How to Live Like the Orange Lady
5 Tips for a Most Excellent Life
“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”
Ray Bradbury
Friends,
While most people are wrapping up 2022 and making plans for the new year, I’m already living it. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, 2022 was a beast of a year, and I have no desire to linger there.
ICYMI, read that here:
So I’ve already come up with and implemented my intention for 2023: Live like the Orange Lady.
Before I get into how to do this, allow me to introduce this marvelous example of beatific beauty.
Who Is the Orange Lady?
The Orange Lady is an older woman who usually arrives at the gym around the same time my husband and I are heading out.
Dressed head to toe in bright orange, she’s impossible to miss. Even if you had the rarest form of colorblindness (monochromacy), you’d know the Orange Lady by the joyful greeting she bestows upon all in her presence.
Her white hair is cropped short, and her head is nearly perfectly round. Combined with all the orange and her warm inner glow, she looks very much like a jack-o-lantern when she smiles at you.
And let me tell you, I’ve never seen anyone smile so much.
The first day I met the Orange Lady, I complimented her on all her orange. She promptly complimented me on my overalls (farmXlife) and told me she buys everything she can in orange because it was a hard color to come by for so many years. Everything from her phone case to her Hokas to her gym bag is orange. Bright orange. Like the fruit.
I’m not the only one who calls her Orange Lady but I believe her name is Laura.
5 Reasons Why We Should All Aspire to Live Like the Orange Lady
Just from our limited interactions in the gym locker room, lobby, and parking lot, I can tell the Orange Lady knows how to live. Here’s how she does it (based on my observation):
1. She Smiles at Everyone
The first thing I noticed about the Orange Lady — even before the orange — was her smile. I can’t imagine she’s actually overflowing with joy every day, but she sure acts like it!
Science shows that smiling makes you happier. And I don’t know about you, but seeing another person smile generally elicits a smile from me. Therefore, the Orange Lady spreads joy and optimism simply by being there.
2. She Pays it Forward
This is a story my husband shared with me this past spring:
Jason was in line at our favorite coffee stand (an outdoor, walk-up espresso bar with no covered waiting area). It was raining, and he didn’t have an umbrella or rain jacket. The Orange Lady was ahead of him. She recognized Jason from the gym and let him cut ahead of her so he could get out of the weather.
Jason’s not one to let a good deed go unrewarded, so he bought the Orange Lady’s coffee for her.
The Orange Lady was very moved by this gesture. She said she’d never had someone buy her coffee before, and was so grateful to have learned about this act of kindness that she bought the coffee for the person behind her, too.
When Jason went back the next day, the barista told him that every person bought a coffee for the next customer in line. It went on like that until they closed at 2pm.
Talk about a beautiful butterfly effect!
3. She Has a Can-Do Attitude
The women’s locker room was a bit of a mess one day last week. I noticed a paper towel on the floor and tossed it in the garbage before heading upstairs to workout. By the time I got back to change, said garbage was nearly overflowing.
And then the Orange Lady arrived!
She waltzed in, gave a slight “tsk” and commented on how the garbage was about to overflow. Instead of hailing an employee to handle it, she shoved down the unruly paper towels herself, leaving the locker room safe from the impending deluge of debris.
A wise man once told me that when you choose to complain about something, you’re nominating yourself as the manager in charge of changing it.
4. She’s Got Style
Two weeks ago, I went to the gym a little later than usual. Because of this, I got to witness the Orange Lady in the gym for the first time!
She was completely barefoot and dressed in a neon orange tutu.
I think she may have been early for a Zumba class, because she flitted around the equipment room like a pixie, saying hello to all her friends before moving into the classroom.
And that brings me to my last point…
5. She Stays Fit
Sometimes she dances, sometimes she swims. The important thing is, the Orange Lady has a consistent gym routine.
I sometimes see her swimming laps with a snorkel, face mask, and flippers. I can only imagine she used to/still does swim in one of the many bays around our area.
A Note on Why Swimming Is Badass
While I’m not tough enough to go full-on swimming around here without a wetsuit (even in the summer), I’ve become very interested in the cold-plunge culture of coastal Maine.
There are a lot of unhealthy bodies in Maine, but I’ve noticed that some of the older women are especially well-preserved and exceedingly resilient.
I think cold plunging is the key. And after reading this NY Times piece on Two Maine Mermaids, I’m sold on it. Plus, any group of ladies that bond over doing something uncomfortable for the sake of a greater benefit is a crew I want to spend time with.
And that, my friends, is why we should all live like the Orange Lady.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great week!
Lauren
PS: If this post brightened your day, you can buy me a coffee to say thanks!
PPS: Action Potential newsletter is unofficially sponsored by Death Wish Coffee! Use my link and enter code: DWCAFF10 for 10% off!