By Christabelle…
Though this won’t be the usual post you see from me on the latest, greatest, coolest and most-chic. This might indeed be the post you come back to and read over and over time and time again.
I waited on the subway platform yesterday, Crack-Berry in hand, iPod pumping the newest tunes on my “I’m a Jersey Girl” playlist. Annoyed that the train was taking too long, that my bags were too heavy, that my stomach was noticeably reminding me that I skipped breakfast. One thousand things rolled through my head – like a movie on fast forward. So many responsibilities…everyone is expecting me to be somebody to them today. Can I make it? Can I be all of these things to so many different people? Have a bitten off more than I can chew? Is the smell in this underground cesspool sticking to me like an episode of Seinfeld?!?
And then from the corner of my eye, I noticed a very handsome man. Tall in stature, impeccably dressed from head to toe, accompanied by his walking stick. As the “B” pulled up, the mosh pit of rush-hour New Yorkers pushed around him – seemingly unaware or not taking the time to care that this blind man was trying to make his way onto the train. Instinctively, I touched his elbow and led him onto the subway. No words were exchanged. I made my way to the corner of the train, took a deep breath and burst into tears. Thank goodness for dark sunglasses.
I am unsure why this moment struck me as profoundly as it did (and for those of you thinking this is a female hormonal thing – do us all a favor and step away from my blog). The movie in my mind went from “fast forward” to “pause” to then “rewind”.
Can I be all of these things to so many different people? Have a bitten off more than I can chew? Is the smell in this underground cesspool sticking to me like an episode of Seinfeld?!?
All I can say, is I hope that stench stuck to me and I was forced to smell it all day long. It would be a healthy reminder that I have the privilege to be alive and fortunate to have all of my senses.
Point being…hit “pause”. Look around you and stop to smell the proverbial flowers; even if it means getting stung by a bee now and again. Appreciate what you have and who you are and the talents you were born with…we all have them – it is your choice to reach in, find them and be confident enough to share them with the rest of us.
Take a moment to smile at someone and tell them to have a nice day. If we all did that once a day, what a happier place the world would be. Pay it forward.
In 1993 a group of scientists conducted an experiment in which several thousand people in Washington D.C. meditated together twice a day for almost 2 months. This mass-meditation of positive and healthy thought correlated with a highly significant reduction in crime in D.C. – numbers that even astounded the largest of skeptics. We have the power to change the world, but at the very least to change our own lives and the lives that we touch every day.
Open your window and take a leap on life. You don’t need the superhero tights and cape to soar to the top of your game (though if you bear any resemblance to Ryan Reynolds, kindly do so, and email me photos for my personal viewing pleasure).
Laugh. Laugh again. And then laugh a little more. Some time ago, I missed out on 730 days of giggles, chuckles, belly busting snickers, and side-stitching howls. I can’t get back those days and I regret that. What I can tell you now, is that sound of my own laughter hitting my ears is the most melodic and glorious sound in the world. I am certain that those who were with me during those 730 days feel the same. So bust out with a cackle right now – it will no doubt be, not only to yours, but to someone else’s delight.
The past is the past. Keep it there. The weight of all things expired don’t belong in the hems of your pants. They just make every step into the future labored and exhausting. Cut them out. Or buy yourself a new pair of pants…at Christabelle’s Closet (shameless and very inappropriate plug).
Embrace who you are. No one is perfect. Why am I not thinner, taller, more muscular, bigger busted, smaller-waisted…blah-blah-blah. My ass and I have had a volatile relationship for a lifetime. One day, I decided to give her a chance. We spent the day together, got to know each other and now we are the best of friends. Dimples, junk and all. Embrace who you are. Your idiosyncracies and off-beat characteristics are what everyone else adores about you. So why aren’t you loving them about yourself?
All you need to be is perfectly IMPERFECT. I know “The bad stuff is easier to believe” (Pretty Woman – Julia Roberts). Make it a point to digest the good stuff too. Give a compliment. Take a compliment. They are free.
Love. Don’t be afraid of it. I don’t care if your heart has been put into a wood chipper and used as mulch for the front lawn of a sanitarium (a la Fargo). Keep loving. Keep expanding the amount you can give and receive. Grab at love the way you accept oxygen into your lungs. It is what truly makes the world go around. Love – when it is true in your heart – will always be there for you. Everything else is just “stuff”. And as we all know, stuff can come and go rather quickly…
Ditch the naysayers. They are just insecure in their own lives and want to take you down with the sinking ship. Don’t bother boarding the Titanic – even if you have a first class ticket. We all know how that ended.
Let the people in your life know how you feel about them. Don’t assume anything. They could be gone tomorrow, so let them know today.
Don’t be ashamed that you are scared. We all have fears in our lives. Sometimes the only thing separating us from hovering afraid in a pitch dark room is someone to come flip the light-switch on. And it is usually someone you don’t expect.
And lastly…when you find that person…and you know which person I am talking about…hold on tight. When you find the person that changes your world and lets you shine like the brightest star in the sky…when you find the person that makes you want to be a better man/woman…the person that makes you like who YOU are around them…when you find the person who you want to share the world with…take a moment to appreciate it and then hold onto them without fear, without hesitation and without suffocation.
Do us all a favor…if the wind blows a winning lottery ticket at your feet, pick it up and cash it in…you have mere moments before another breeze blows it into the hands of the next. And for the record, none of us want to hear you bitch and moan about how it could have been. Make it your reality. Carpe Diem.
Now, GO GET IT.
You all know I am a sucker for a man in uniform…but add a man in uniform, who is giving of himself to help children in need…enter 
Those of you in the Northeast or Midwest might not believe me when I tell you this, but spring is almost here! To some people, spring means getting the garden ready or dusting off the patio furniture and finally enjoying the outdoors again, but to me it means one thing- new shoes! In early February, not unlike like a wild animal (or at least a wild animal with internet access), I poke my head out of its winter shelter and begin to look for signs of spring’s arrival, but instead of looking outside for my own shadow, I look online for cute spring and summer shoes- and guess what? They’re out there, so spring must be on the way!
DONATE, RECYCLE, SELL…Say GOODBYE to the STUFF that’s weighing you down!
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