In life's amazing journey, we begin and end with love.
Huge honor to have been interviewed by Mathew from Blog of the Wolf Boy! He’s got this amazing, unique Behind the Author Series. His brilliant work coupled with his out-of-the-box abundance captivates his readers. Do visit his power blog and be ready to be enthralled! 😊🌟✨💫🌟✨💫🌟✨💫😊
Hey YOU. Yes YOU! That’s who I want to see. In unadulterated beauty. In unfiltered goodness. In genuine purity. In elegant simplicity. In silent eloquence. In boisterous merriment. In reticent pensiveness. In raging boldness. In out-of-the-box madness. In irrepressible humor. In unquenchable curiosity. In all-that-you-truly-are form.
I want to see YOU draped in nothing but your authenticity. Yes, the real you. Not the dolled up, heavily made up you. Not the multiple-diet, pound-shaven you. Not the embellished, propped-up brand you. Not the insatiably hungry-for-likes you. Not the superficial, insta-you. Not anyone else attempting to be you.
Why? It’s the only language that I know, in my head and in my heart. Authenticity. In my world, everything is just as it is. Real and deep to the core. Yes, wrinkles, spider veins, and more. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I do what I do because that’s my personal choice. I carve out my day in a way that honors my soul and casts my light on whom I want to behold.
So, if you’d like for us to live happily in our shared world, this would be a great start. I’ll be myself and you’ll be yourself. It’s as simple as that. Be-YOU-tiful! That’s all you ever have to be! ❤️
This is my love message to my nieces and all the young girls in my life. And yes, this is also a sweet reminder for all gorgeous women out there who know that their real beauty and worth lie in who they are deep within. To all of you ladies, Stay Be-YOU-tiful! ❤️
“Eeew spider veins?!? You’ve got spider veins?!? Yuck!!!” Woah! It took my ears a few minutes to recover after hearing that “observation” or insult hurled at me. I have to admit, it took my heart a week. Okay, staying real, two weeks. Haha!
Sounds quite juvenile on my part to need a long recovery period, huh? Well, it took much longer for my heart to get over it when I remembered who actually blurted out that “spider vein feedback”. Or, should I say unsolicited advice?
It all happened one light, breezy, sunshiny day. The weather was as gorgeous as it could get. So, I wore a lovely summer dress to celebrate the sunshine. I was definitely “dressed for the occasion”, so to speak. Light. Breezy. Sunshiny. That’s how I felt deep within. No cares in the world. Just bliss. Ahhh. Pure bliss.
Then, out to nowhere, “you know who”….. (Oh sorry, you DON’T know who …. Well, I’d rather keep it a mystery, if that’s okay with you. It’s a delicate matter of sensitivities. I’d prefer to zero in on some life insights born that day.)….. anyway, to continue, “you know who” jumped at me, both literally and figuratively, and took me by storm. At that point, the weather drastically changed. From a sunshiny happy day to an overcast gloomy day. Or at least, that was the intention of “you know who”. Well, sorry to disappoint her, but her plan was thwarted. No one was going to rain on my sunshiny day, haha!
Initially, I was dumbfounded. However, when I mulled over it, I burst into indignant laughter in my head. I mean, seriously?!? It’s unbelievably hilarious how some people make it a life mission to obliterate the happy hearts around them. The crazily awesome thing about happiness, though, is that when it comes from deep within, no amount of heavy rains, thunderstorms, insults, naysayers, doomsayers, or whatever negatively charged forces there are, can ever cause it to dissipate.
We all pretty much have our own “Cheer Team”. And we celebrate them with love. As for the detractors and green-eyed monsters, sure they may attempt to block our path to the yellow brick sunshiny road, but they ain’t stoppin’ us, no way!
On a personal note, I thought to myself. Hmmmmm. A few spider veins on my thighs (what with all the heels I’ve worn in my earlier teaching/ training days)? Well, I really don’t mind. In fact, I’ve “made friends” with them, haha! They never bothered me anyway. BUUUUT having to deal with spider-veined souls? (Just saying! ….) Now, THAT is totally unacceptable to me. My happiness is non-negotiable!
In my life, amidst the erratic climate ….. the sudden weather shifts from droughts to torrential rainfall, I choose to embrace the sunshine within me.
So, what did I do that day? I simply smiled and walked away. Yup, that’s me, I don’t stoop to the lowest levels unnecessarily. I wore my phone headset and checked my playlist. Then I happily sang along …. “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way, gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, it’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day …. it’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day!” ❤️
It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day! ☀️☀️☀️
It’s a brand new day! (Audience response: APPLAUSE). With brand new smiles and handshakes. Brand new dreams and aspirations. Brand new hopes and ambitions. Brand new creations and designs. Brand new meetings and workshops. Brand news deals and contracts. Brand new options and solutions.
Weather forecast? Generally sunny skies aaaaall oooover! (Audience response: MAJORLY THUNDEROUS APPLAUSE).
Now, in contrast, jump to the next scene.
It’s a brand new day! (Audience response: SIGH). With brand new irritations and apprehensions. Brand new nitpicking and criticizing. Brand new anxieties and fears. Brand new foreboding and negativity. Brand new threats and attacks. Brand new problems and complaints.
Weather forecast? Generally heavy rains and thunderstorms aaaaall oooover! (Audience response: LOUDEST SIGH …… MOAN, GROAN, or however you’d articulate insufferable displeasure).
Funny really. Actually, odd. The day presents itself as a neutral point in time. It’s just exactly that. A DAY.
However, our attitudes and mindsets spell all the difference. Do we choose to focus on the positive things in life? That choice propels us to go on. Or do we choose to focus on the negative things in life? That choice weakens us and halts us altogether.
Of course, I’m fully aware that life isn’t a bed or roses. There are expectedly a number of thorns along the way. And yet …. A big YET ….. there are also a plethora of blessings that await us …. a rainbow of renewed hopes that we can hold on to …. a multitude of miracles that are raring to unfold before our very eyes.
So at the end of the day ….. or should I say, at the beginning of the day (haha!) …. It’s really a matter of focus, of perspective, of angle, of vision.
I may not know what my day holds, but I definitely choose happiness. Yup, aaaaall oooover!
So popping my happy pill, I say, “Hey world, I’m ready for my brand new “BRAND YOU” day! Yeah, bring it on!” ❤️
It’s a beautiful relaxing Sunday. Ahhh my type of day.
Been publishing posts as my imagination inspired me these past few days. And I loved all that happy, vibrant, creative, and pulsating energy.
Thanks so much, dear friends, for having dropped by this week. I was so thrilled with your awesome comments and lovely, diverse rainbow insights. I found our conversations so cool, so intelligent, so fun, so inspiring, so stimulating, so engaging.
Decided to treat myself with special “Me Time” today. A sweet visit to the spa is my kind of pampering.
I know that we pretty much multi-task in this day and age. Yup, even when we desire to be more mindful. It’s simply the name of the game. And we learn the rules to stay in the game, so to speak. We choose to adapt to our fast-evolving environments. We contend with the increasingly pressing demands on us at work, at home, at church, at our communities, at our organizations, and what have you.
So, we all need that sweet spot in our lives. That go-to place when we want to unwind. That sacred space when we want to clear our minds. That Shangri-La when we want to rejuvenate. That personal boardroom when we want to recalibrate. That mountain top when we want to gain a fresh perspective.
Wishing you all a “Sweet Soul Spa” Sunday! With much love and gratitude! ❤️
