How to get yourself a Lady in Waiting.

How to get yourself a Lady in Waiting  (Men … substitute Butler)

I’m sure I was very, very small when I first heard the term ‘lady in waiting’. It was probably in one of the stories my mother would read to me at night. No doubt I would have put a small hand immediately on her arm and said, “Wait, Mum, stop, what’s that? What is a Lady in Waiting?”

Practical but a dreamer, my mother would have explained that Princesses have helpers in life. A person to assist them, to do stuff for them. Maybe to iron a dress, choose an outfit, or sew a button. Maybe to pluck a stray eyebrow or to run a bath. Maybe to get a cup of tea or go for a leisurely afternoon stroll together in the park. Stuff to make life run more smoothly, stuff to nourish the soul. 

In my imagination this lady in waiting was always beautiful. Just as beautiful as the Queen or the Princess, but with an edge. This lady would have an aura of patience, of knowing, of calm acceptance; she was just a little smug like the Mona Lisa. 

I wanted one. 

To my surprise, much later in life, I learnt that these amazing, mystical creatures do, in fact, exist. The Queen of England has several; I’ve heard one interviewed and she was fabulous. I expect all Queens and Princesses have one. 

The want to have my own Lady in Waiting reemerged at a time in my life where I was also craving a personal assistant, a driver, and a cook, to help me keep up with my exceptionally demanding days. Tired of lamenting my lack of having one, it had gradually dawned on me that I should become one. I became a Lady in Waiting. 

A Lady in Waiting for me. 

We set aside periods of time together, usually daily, to just connect and see what needs to be done. Choose an outfit, pluck a stray eyebrow, go for a gentle stroll, whatever comes up. Whatever needs priority, whatever will help life run more smoothly, whatever will nourish the soul. 

This Lady in Waiting of mine is exceptionally good. She has studied aromatherapy and skincare so we always waft around in the most delicious scent, skin soft and supple. She is precise about the care of my belongings so my precious things are where they should be, and maintained with love. She know I love plants so I have an aloe vera and a lavender growing in my room. 

She studies nutrition and she has discerning taste in tea. She’s an upcoming DJ and creates playlists that are calming and uplifting for our time together. She researches podcasts for travel time, movies for downtime, poets and authors for reading time. She gets me. 

Patient, knowing, accepting, and just a little smug, she makes my life run smoothly. She nourishes me. 

Do it. Today. It’s time. You deserve a Lady in Waiting because you are a Queen, we all are. We just have to choose to own it.