Fresh Air....

It's impossible for me to hide my excitement about this post ; not because of anything I have to say, but because of what I feel it represents. First off, I'm going to break one of my personal blogging "rules" and give thanks where thanks is due. I'm obviously willing to write about a plethora of personal feelings, opinions, and such, but I do my best to keep the details of my life to myself and those who actually happen to be a part of my personal life. That said, this post would not be possible if it weren't for the beauty of a wonderful woman I had the good fortune to "meet" a few weeks ago. And that wouldn't have been possible if my awesome boyfriend hadn't felt compelled to share my blog with some friends of his. He knows who he is and knows how grateful I am, but nonetheless, I feel it's an important factor of my excitement in sharing this post with you.

After he posted a link on a social media site, I was completely stunned and humbled to receive a remarkably thoughtful and heartfelt email from his lovely friend, Ulrike. She and I have both heard a lot about each other, but as Ulrike lives in Germany, we haven't had the opportunity to meet. You can imagine my astonishment that not only did someone I have never met (from overseas, no less) want to follow and support my little blog, but has since been so touched by it that she has already sent me some fantastic contributions that I can't wait to share with you. This is wonderful in and of itself, but to me, this is EXACTLY what I hoped to accomplish when I initially started this project several years ago. I wanted to get people talking. I wanted to reach people. And to be able to inspire even one person through my writing is more than I could ask for. I'll sound like a humbled and grateful broken record soon, but even that seems an understatement when I think of what this means to me.

With all that in mind, I'm super excited to share this first contribution from Ulrike. The image above was part of an ad from her local family department store. But what makes this ad so unique is that the "models" pictured are not really models. They are, in fact, actual employees of that very department store! Yes, they had stylists and make-up artists and are looking their best, but they are REAL people. Not these overly photo shopped (and who knows what else!) "ideals" that we see plastered everywhere else. I believe there were still actual models in part of the ad as well, but even so, this is a very positive and realistic step forward. I often get so fueled by my anger over what torment this age of "perfection" has caused me personally that I see possible change as all or nothing. I often feel hopeless,helpless, and doomed to a life where I will never be comfortable in my own skin. I only see the negative. What Ulrike's contribution helped me to realize is that instead of focusing on all the negativity that I can't change, maybe I should pay more attention to the positive aspects that I can share with you and put into play in my own life. The old adage "Rome wasn't built in a day..." has stuck around for a reason, and while you and I can't change society, we CAN change (with patience and practice) how we let it affect us. And just think of what can be put in motion when just a small group of real people learn to defy the odds and truly embrace the REAL, BEAUTIFUL people that we are. 

It's not going to be easy for me. Not at all. But I look at how a few emails and blog posts have mutually inspired two women in a matter of weeks, and I feel hope. I hope I can hold onto that more and more in the coming days, and I hope you can too. Take a deep breath, and savor that beautiful fresh air it brings....

Forward March.....

   

   "I was for a while troubled with a haunting fear that if I handled the flower freely, its bloom would fade – the sweet charm of freshness would leave it. I did not then know that it was no transitory blossom; but rather the radiant resemblance of one, cut in an indestructible gem.”  - from Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)   

Ah, the restlessness of the creative mind. Whatever your art, you know that seeking to which I'm referring. You are passionate about what you're creating, therefore, you can't just put any old thing out there. You want it to be just right ; to express yourself in a way that is yours alone, whether it be a beautiful painting or a heartfelt letter - or even an email! - to a dear family member or friend. It's a wonderful gift - to care so much about what you're creating and sharing - but at the same time we creatives often have a "bazillion!" thoughts and ideas going on at once, and it seems nearly impossible to even make an attempt to express them unless we abandon all other responsibilities, activities - pretty much EVERYTHING else that makes up our daily lives! Free association can be a real pain in the dupa when you simply want to get your point across.

With that in mind, I want to tell you that I too, have so many ideas, so many possibilities for growth and positive changes for this blogging project , so much I want to share - but it seems I've found valid ways to "conveniently" keep myself from doing what gives me so much fulfillment in posting to this blog. I haven't made excuses. I've had a heck of a lot going on, as most working adults trying to build a good life do. But I'm also aware that I've often refused to post until I had an essay that was as close to "perfect" in my eyes as it could get , thus  - you guessed it - completely acting against the mission of this blog. Yes, I love to write.  Yes, I have a very long way to go to become the writer I someday hope to be. But this is a blog about beauty and truth. My absolute favorite thing about it (I've said it many times, so forgive me for putting it out there one more time) is sharing that with whoever happens to be reading ; sharing it with you.  Somewhere in the past few months, that seems to have taken an unfortunate backseat. So... from here on out, that's exactly what I aim to do.

I honestly have no clue what format, if any, I'm going to follow. But I can say for certain that those pesky ideas that I've been squelching until they're "perfectly expressed" (oh, please!) will be brought to the forefront ASAP. Maybe it will be some random thoughts I have about something I saw on TV or an interaction I had with a friend or co-worker. Maybe I'll share some sites filled with visually creatively beauty that I've been lucky enough to learn of, or maybe I'll have some interactive posts. Maybe some polls, interviews,changing the layout - who knows?! But I will be sharing, and I'm looking forward to it.

Stay tuned....I plan on kicking off some "random" posts in the next day or two, and I'd love to share them with you.