Maybe not in the way you might think. Nothing special happened today. I didn't win a prize or celebrate some milestone. What made today so great was being able to appreciate all the little things. Sometimes it seems that we're so concerned with getting more or achieving that next level of success that we don't stop and notice what we have right now. I know that this concept is nothing new; there's plenty of famous quotes or works of literature that discuss this very notion, but we somehow still forget all of that.
Occasionally I forget how much love and beauty I'm surrounded by in my life. I forget that not everyone is blessed to live by a body of water that shimmers in the sun and constantly varies between numerous shades of blue. I forget that not everyone can go for a walk in the middle of the day under the warmth of the sun, while enjoying the light breeze blowing off the water. I forget that being able to buy coffee and sitting in a bookstore to read for a few hours is a luxury. But today I remembered, and I was able to appreciate how special these gifts are.
When I got home this afternoon the first thing that I wanted to do was go downstairs and play the new vinyl records I purchased over the weekend. So I started up the turntable, put my BBC Recording of The Black Keys on and cranked up the sound. Since we no longer have a working TV in my parent's basement and I didn't just feel like sitting around, I decided to pick up a neglected cue and play a game of pool against myself. I haven't played pool for a few years now and it was pretty obvious by the craptastic shots I was taking. It took me, what seemed to be, 20 shots (I lost count) just to sink one ball, but it didn't matter. After a while I switched out The Black Keys for one of my parent's Tina Turner records and started a full on dance party by myself. As I was jumping around and using the cue as my own personal rock star microphone I realized how little some things have changed in my life. I will never stop singing into the end of the cue or shaking what my mamma gave me when the time is right. Some things you do when you're younger you wouldn't dream of doing today and other things will always stay with you.
Right in the middle of my Turner impersonation I spun around to find my brother standing by the table and laughing at me. Really nothing changes and you better bet I didn't skip a beat. That's when he grabbed his cue and so began the next couple hours of family fun. My dad joined us for a few rounds of Cut Throat after getting home from work, and my mom made a late entrance for her typical role as game observer. It's been harder the last few years to find time to spend together and it was nice being able to laugh and joke with the people I love. We will always be able to bond over pool.
So today was a great day. The same kind of day as many other days, but with a totally different perspective. And sometimes, perspective makes all the difference.
What is your idea of a great day? What kind of things did you do with your family growing up that you can still bond over today?
-S
Part of being human is the inherent fact that we are all different. No two people (not even identical twins) are the same. I personally believe our individualism should be celebrated. Think about it. Isn't it cool that despite the enormous number of people on this plant we are all still different?
Instead it seems that we are taught to wipe away our uniqueness or dislike the features that make us stand out amongst our peers. We can't seem to accept that some people have small frames and some people have larger ones. That some people's metabolism works at a dissimilar pace than our own. That some people have small hands or big feet and others have long legs or big thighs. Genetics have always separated us and yet humans have refused to acknowledged that as a good thing. Society has taught us to judge each other by how closely we come to the "ideal" body. We try to blend in with one another, casting away our differences. We question the reason a person looks a certain way when the answer is often simple, heredity. It's just the way the world works.
Two of my favorite YouTubers, Zoella and SprinkleofGlitter, seem to be great advocates for loving yourself and being kind to people (in a general sense and when it comes to other's bodies). Both women, although different, are equally as gorgeous and seem to possess a certain amount of confidence with their bodies. Recently, the two women made an awesome video about the question, "Why are you so skinny?" I loved their approach to the question and definitely agree with both of their expressed opinions. The way you phrase a question/statement can make all the difference. It's important to be aware of the effect words can have on an individual. If there is something more going on, and you are concerned about a friend, there are better ways to approach that kind of situation. Making rude comments and assumptions can leave an everlasting effect.
"If you're happy and you're healthy, then screw what everybody else thinks."
I am short. I have small hands and small feet. My legs are short and my thighs have always touched (even when I was skinniest). My spine curves in weird ways. My stomach fat is a little larger on one side than the other. My jaw is crooked and no part of my body is even remotely symmetrical on either side. Yet this is the way I was born. It's not ideal but it's what makes me, me. I have spent a lot of time being unhappy and dissatisfied by my body. I have struggled to see any part of myself as pretty because according to the magazines and the research, I'm not. Listening to people call other women/men ugly or fat for being a certain way, also has effects on the people you say those things around (not just the people you say them about). We should be going farther out of our way to say positive things about each other rather than making negative comments.
I'm certainly not entirely happy about the way my body looks, but I try to find one thing I like every day. I have learned to see my differences as positive thing, rather than as a burden. There's no way, besides possibly plastic surgery (and even that won't solve everything), that I will end up with the "perfect" body. I figure I might as well try to be happy in my own skin, rather than waste my whole life wishing I was something else. I wish society spent more time teaching people to love their bodies rather than focusing on what we should change. Embrace the parts that make you unique. Love yourself, no matter what size, shape, or amount of "imperfections" you have. Lastly, don't forget to act in a positive way towards others too. Tell your friends, children, significant others that they look lovely each and every day. Saying nice things never causes as much harm as saying something derogatory.
Now I've basically become the one girl from Mean Girls who says she wants to "bake a cake made out of rainbows and smiles," but I found this video to be so important.
Step 1: Purchase some sort of wrap dress (I got mine at American Apparel a few years ago. Mine is also black, which helps.)
Step 2: Put the dress on and tie in a flattering manner.
Step 3: If your house is a wee bit chilly today throw on a comfy, yet stylish, sweater you have laying around.
Step 4: Take your hair out of the bun you typically throw it into and let it do its thing.
Step 5: Finish up with your favorite lipstick/stain/gloss. (Or use the new Showoff aka Apocalips from Rimmel London you just bought today. I used the Luna shade and I am absolutely in love with it!)
My dad, my brother, and my brother's girlfriend all asked in various ways why I was dressed up today. In reality I grabbed what was the easiest thing I could think of to wear and didn't do a whole lot else. Honestly I left the house to run to Starbucks and then Walgreens for the lip glosses and that's been about it. The rest of my day has been spent watching Youtube videos, reading blogs, eating, and watching more Elementary. I live a simple and mostly boring life people... there's not much to it.
