Welcome to the Red Hats

An old friend from my Lincoln Park days is a member of the Red Hat Society (RHS). Shirley posts pictures on Facebook of herself and friends dining at restaurants and wearing hats that range from the beautiful to the absurd. Red Hats “are a global society that connects, supports, and encourages women in their pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom, fulfillment, and fitness while supporting members to get the most out of life.” Or so says their mission statement.

Membership in the RHS was originally restricted to gals who had reached the half-century mark, but over the years the rules relaxed. Women younger than 50 who want to participate in the group are now invited to join, but they’re required to wear pink hats as a symbol of their youth.

Giving a nod to Jenny Joseph’s poem “Warning”, aka, “When I am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple,” Red Hat ladies do just that. They wear purple outfits and red hats and wave at people who think they’re just a wee bit left of center. Many groups do more than dine and visit. They get involved in all sorts of community activities where they contribute their time and expertise to various causes.

           

I called the 800 number listed on their website and inquired if there was a Red Hat Society in our area. There are two across the border in Ontario, but both are closed to new members. Maybe it’s time someone started a RHS in the Soo. I don’t have time for such an endeavor, but if anyone is interested in pursuing this, go ahead. If Sonja Norris were still with us, she’d be first in line to organize a Red Hat Revolution. Friends of Sonja will remember her remarkable get-ups that often left us speechless. What a delightful tribute the Red Hat Society would be to her memory.

There’s a RHS magnet proclaiming “Stop Acting Your Age.” It’s a pseudo edict to us oldsters to forget the number of years we’ve been weathering life’s storms, and enjoy the time we have left. It’s an invitation to thumb our nose at all the heartaches and disappointments living has inflicted on us.

It’s a call to slap on a red hat, down a Manhattan at Maloney’s, and cheer old age. All things considered, it’s a pretty good call.