Was I having a Hot Flash or What?

Last weekend, I promised my baby boomer diva girlfriend, Donna Maria, that I would support her Teen Fest 2K7 project. So today, I kept my word and went over to North Carolina Central University to watch the performances of several talented young people from Raleigh-Durham and the surrounding area.

Donna Maria, being the spectacular woman that she is, managed to get two celebrity male judges to help her out. They were men I recognized from back in the day AND they're actually baby boomers themselves. You remember Christopher "Play" Martin from the Kid-n-Play House Party Movies? And then there was Darryl "DMC" McDaniel from the musical group RUN-DMC. They were the pioneers of hip-hop---when hip hop was still respectable. I used to love that song "Walk this Way."

Well anyway, at intermission, I took the opportunity to go over to them and introduce myself and give them a copy of my book. (Actually, Christopher is on my email buddy list). I told Darryl to give his copy to his wife Zuri. I suggested Chris give it to his mom, at which time he informed me she had passed away last month. It was at that moment that I wanted to give him a bear hug but then I thought I might not want to let go of that fine baby boomer man so I kept my composure and offered my condolenses.

Now here's where it gets a little blurry. During my interaction with these fine gentlemen I started to feel a little flush. You know, it was like a nervous perspiration but then I thought "Oh, I'm too old to be getting THOSE kind of feelings because I'm going through menopause, so I must be having a hot flash!"

Well, whatever it was---it actually felt pretty good.

The Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame

When someone thinks of a woman as a Diva they tend to think of her in the negative sense. Yes, she's talented BUT she's also what you would call high maintenance with her constant demands and the fact that she believes the world evolves around her. Probably Jennifer Lopez comes to mind because of the time she reportedly asked a record executive for fresh, piping-hot Cuban bread and his staff had to visit nearly a dozen bakeries to honor her request. She also wanted dozens of packets of Skittles -including the new sour flavor. And on top of that, she also wanted a gourmet meat selection, a separate cheese platter and crates of water and fruit and scented candles. Or what about actress Nicole Kidman who apparently didn't want to visit the hotel's gym in London and instead had the exercise equipment brought directly to her suite. OK...these are over the top requests in my opinion but you have to consider the source. These are YOUNG WOMEN who haven't lived long enough to appreciate the hardships of life.

So what is a Baby Boomer DIVA? Well, first of all she's a woman who was born between 1946 and 1964. She's someone who's been through the fire and the rainstorms of life and can still hold her head high with class, style, grace and dignity. Menopause has made her a little bit sassy but that's OK because she can afford to be.

She is:

D-ivine
I-nspired
V-ivacious
A-nointed (with a sprinkle of A-ttitude)

If you know a woman like that, she belongs on the Baby Boomer Diva Web of Fame on my website: www.thebabyboomerdiva.com.

The Italian word for Diva is "goddess." Need I say more?

Baby Boomer Diva Natalie Cole is Unforgettable

On Saturday, I had the privilege, honor and pleasure of sharing my day with Singer Natalie Cole. She and I were guest speakers at this year’s Women’s Empowerment Expo in Raleigh, NC.

The day started with a breakfast, where she mingled with other speakers and sponsors of the event. The baby boomer diva said she was surprised at being invited to “speak.” She thought her agent may have gotten the message wrong. She laughed and said she asked him, “Are you sure they don’t want me to sing?” Natalie was invited by Radio One and its billionaire baby boomer diva Cathy Hughes who, by the way, was also at the Expo. I took the opportunity to give each of them a copy of my book “Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age.”

Natalie looked absolutely stunning as she graced the stage in her two-piece fuschia suit. The sold-out crowd listened intently as Nat King Cole’s little princess talked about every woman’s favorite AND least favorite subject: men. We all have, what Natalie called, “a stupid gene” when it comes making choices about the type of man we want to spend the rest of our lives with. The baby boomer diva pointed to her own life as an example of how the stupid choices she made led to an abusive and controlling husband. She shared the fact that she stayed in the marriage longer than she should have because she didn’t think she could ever find anyone else who would love her. Imagine, someone as beautiful and talented as she is saying something like that?

She was straight-forward and candid about her longing to find someone like her father but ended up with people who were more like her mother—a mother with whom she never got along with very well. Those bad choices, she said, also led her to drugs and alcohol. But on Saturday, she stood proudly and proclaimed she has been in recovery for several years.

Natalie told the predominately female audience not to be anxious to find the right man by a certain age. She said until he comes, they should work on getting themselves together spiritually and physically and to take time to focus on the One who will always love them better than anyone else ever could. Natalie says her faith and connection to God has given her an inner peace to know that she doesn’t necessarily need a man to complete her.

Although she wasn’t asked to sing, the sexy songstress blessed the crowd with a song she said was one of her favorite by Des’ree:

Listen as your day unfolds
Challenge what the future holds
Try and keep your head up to the sky
Lovers, they may cause you tears
Go ahead release your fears
Stand up and be counted
Don't be ashamed to cry
You gotta be
You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together
All I know, all I know, love will save the day…

Upon completion, she received a standing ovation….and then it was my turn.

Beverly Mahone is a motivational speaker and author of the book, "Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age." www.thebabyboomerdiva.com