Letting Go...

We all go through hard goodbyes.  Goodbye to family, goodbye to pets, goodbye to friends, and so many more serious, emotional goodbyes.  I don't want to talk about any of those, as that would go against the superficial tone I always want to create when writing my blog.  Remember - frivolity is a keyword to describe my blog and I will not apologize for it.  I feel like my world is surrounded by serious, heavy burdens and my blog is my escape from that.  Besides, who wants to spend their precious time reading my opinion about those burdensome things that everyone else is just dying to give their opinion about?  If that is what you are into, well, I think that's great... you just won't find it here!  Here you will find my frivolous blog, which today is about letting go.  "Of what," you ask?  Is your curiosity driving you crazy?  Please don't let it.  This "letting go" blog is about letting go and saying goodbye to..... stuff!

If you are like me, you have accumulated stuff - clothes, shoes, hobby supplies, books, photos, whatever you are interested in, or whatever you were interested in, at least for a moment, quite possibly many, many, many years ago.  With those interests comes stuff.  If your interest was painting, you are likely to  have old paint, brushes, canvas, maybe an easel, maybe more painting stuff that has been pushed to the back of some corner because you have the very best of intentions and you are absolutely going to resume your painting hobby one day very soon!  Next to those neglected painting supplies is your sewing machine because even though you don't particularly like to sew, you happen to be pretty good at it so you have accumulated fabric, several pairs of scissors, dozens of spools of thread, patterns, and since you have the creativity, you are going to make lots and lots of clothes one day very soon!  This seems like the perfect time to segue into the topic of clothes.  Clothes as a hobby?  Apparently!  At least that is what I am calling it because it makes it sound much more acceptable than what it might be... an obsession.

Fast-forward several years.  The painting supplies have been moved from one corner to another as the painting hobby has been revisited a few times, and the sewing supplies have been used more than you thought they would be, but the clothes?  Well, the clothes have somehow multiplied and I am in the position of having to make some very difficult decisions to separate myself from these clothing items I truly love, but they have taken over, so now what?  I am trying to convince myself that it is wrong to have all these clothes.  It might be, but at one time, I liked - even loved these items of clothing enough to spend my hard-earned money to purchase them -- or they might have been gifted to me because someone else knew I loved them.  But because I have loved too many clothes, or have been given too many clothing gifts, I am quite simply OUT OF SPACE!  What do I do now?  The love is still there, but common sense says it has become too much and something has to give before my closet collapses!  What is the magic word that will help me part with these possessions?  I know I have too much.  I have made it a practice to give clothes to Goodwill from time to time, and even very recently.  And to be honest, I don't think I could name ten items that I gave away!  (There is an obvious lesson buried in that exercise.)  If I don't even know what I gave away, I must not have loved it THAT much!  If I did it then, I should be able to do it again, right?  Then why am I struggling so much?  It's because I love my stuff!  It may be wrong - but I don't care!  I love my clothes!  (I'm not even going to mention the shoes.  That topic - that very special topic - deserves a blog of its own!  Coming soon....)

I have discussed this from time to time and people with good intentions always say, "Make three piles - one to give away, one to keep, and one undecided."  Brilliant!  The problem is that I simply am not able to do that because the "keep" pile is always going to be huge, the "give away" pile is always going to be small, and the "undecided" pile is always going to have only one or two items.  That method just doesn't work, at least not for me.  Oh, and to compound this problem, I really have the itch to sew more clothes lately.  The only thing stopping me is that I don't have anywhere to put the clothes I am dying to sew!  I am a very well-dressed hamster on a wheel! 

 I  will continue to ponder this very real dilemma and hopefully while doing so, I'll figure out the illusive solution to provide my closet with some much needed relief.  I welcome any suggestions any reader of this blog would like to provide, as long as you do so with kindness and resist the urge to tell me something I already know because no one knows better than I that I have a very real fixation on my stuff!  "They" say letting go is freeing, uplifting, cathartic!  I do not doubt it is all of those things, and probably a few more, and once I get to that point, I'll let you know just how great I am doing at letting go!  Wish me luck! 👠

My Blog ... "The Resurrection"

Have you ever had what you thought was a great idea, with the best of intentions... you go into it with enthusiasm, excitement, (unrealistic) expectations, and then you put that idea into motion, only to realize that your idea perhaps wasn't so great after all?  For me, that "great idea" was, of course, my Blog!  I remember having the idea, however unoriginal, to write fun, girly stuff, sometimes interesting, sometimes not, but maybe just lighthearted enough that people might want to take a break from their day and read what I had to say.  Then "IT happened!  The realization that I needed to think of something way too frequently than I thought I was able, to continue writing this blog that was on a fast track to take over my life!  How was I ever going to do that?  Impossible!  So what did I do?  I did what millions of "Writers of Blog" do --- I abandoned it entirely!  What this impossibly long opening paragraph is leading up to is that ... I think ... I am resurrecting my blog!  Welcome back to "I Like Pink... I Like Shoes!"  I thought about changing the name, but why?  I still like pink, and I will forever like shoes!  My husband just asked me why I'm resurrecting my blog.  He asked if I am going to blog about recipes, sewing tips, fashion, or to brag about how great my husband is!  Honestly, I didn't really think about the "why."  Is that necessary?  Do I need a reason?  I think "because I want to" and "because my husband bought me a new computer" are my reasons!  So....  here we go!  Oh, and he wants me to mention that he bought me a new Pixel watch and a lovely bottle of Chanel No. 5!  Now that I have completed the shameless plugs to showcase my husband's generosity, here we go!  Let the blogging begin!  ⋯ 👠

I'm Happy For You!

Good morning, everyone!  I hope you are having a great morning.  I have spent my morning over-thinking a gift I will be giving to someone in the near future.  A complete waste of time, yes, but I've been idling away my time doing it, just the same.

You may ask yourself why I am over-thinking the gift.  Am I not happy with the selection?  That's not it.  Do I really want to give this person a gift?  Of course I do.  She is my friend and I am happy for her.  The event she is experiencing in her life, which is the reason for the gift, is something she has wanted for a very long time and she deserves it.  The reason it weighs so heavily on my mind is because I wanted it, too.  It wasn't in the cards for me, as they say, which is a bitter pill to swallow sometimes, isn't it?

Nevertheless, we ignore the lump in our throat and we hold our chin up high and give our friend the gift in celebration of them.  This makes me question myself - am I really happy for her?  Yes, after very little reflecting, I am very happy for her, and I guess it's okay to feel a little twinge of something - not jealousy, not envy, just something - almost a mournful feeling that I keep pushing to the back of my mind.  Wow!  This blog has become very heavy!  Not the intent, I assure you!

My intent, I guess, is to remind people, mostly myself, that it is okay to feel that twinge, whatever it is that isn't jealousy or envy, but feels mildly similar.  Let yourself feel it.  Don't push it to the back of your mind.  It doesn't make you a bad person, and it doesn't mean you are not truly happy for your friend.  You are, you know you are! 

As human beings, I think it's completely normal to see or hear about someone having something you have always wanted and you feel that "twinge" because you don't have it and you know you never will.  You can still revel in their good fortune, celebrate with them, laugh with them, and look them in the eye and truly mean it when you say, "I'm Happy for You!"

Consider Wearing Leopard! You Don't Know What You're Missing!

In my opinion, fashion is as much a state of mind as it is the actual shoes/clothing/jewelry with which one decides to adorn themselves.  After all, it is with your mind that you choose to create your "look," either from your own ideas or from the influences of others.  Either way, your look is the finished product of these influences.

I was recently shopping and overheard a woman suggest to her friend that she purchase a leopard skirt they had been looking at.  The conversation went something like this: "Oh, my God!  You have to have this skirt!"  "Right!  Where am I gonna wear something like that?"  "Are you serious?  You can wear it anywhere!  It's so cute!  C'mon, at least try it on!"  "You're joking, right?  I would look stupid in that!"  "No, this could be your new look!"  "I've never worn anything like that in my life!"  "Maybe it's time you start!"  (They both laughed, dismissed the idea, and moved on to a different department within the store.)

The friend was being kind and I think rather genuine, by suggesting that her friend buy what I thought was a really cool skirt.  (Yes, I couldn't wait to look when I overheard them talking!  My ears automatically perk up and I become keenly aware when someone mentions leopard!)  The woman appeared to not even consider it, even though I personally think it would have looked really cute on her.

Leopard is an attitude.  Leopard is a state of mind.  Wearing leopard can be very fun!  Not everyone can get away with leopard, and not everyone should try.  Some think it's tacky, some think it's awesome.  (I happen to belong to the group who thinks it's awesome, in case you don't know me very well or in case you didn't notice the background page to my blog!)  But first, let's get one thing straight - I'm only referring to leopard print or faux fur - no harming of any animals to further this girl's leopard wardrobe!  Fabulous fakes and leopard prints only, please!

As I continued on with my shopping, I couldn't help but wonder what stopped that woman from purchasing the adorable leopard skirt her friend was trying to convince her to buy.  She wasn't necessarily a stylish person, her manner of dress was not conservative, but not exactly edgy, either, but she had a rather modern look to her and I'm positive she could have pulled off the leopard look!  Which takes me back to my original point - Leopard is an attitude. Leopard is a state of mind.  She convinced herself that the leopard look was not for her, regardless of how good it may have looked on her.  She actually said she would look "stupid" in it, without even giving it a try!

Ladies - c'mon!  Don't be afraid to try a new look (especially leopard!)  You can pull it off as long as you tweak your attitude!  Tell yourself, "I am so rockin' this skirt," and guess what?  You will be!  Don't listen to the nay-sayers who tell you not to give it a try!  Go ahead!  What have you got to lose?  You just might like your new look - especially if it includes leopard!  And if you don't like it, at least you gave it a try!  If you can't adjust your attitude to allow yourself to buy the leopard skirt, at least try it on!  Maybe the reverse will happen - maybe the skirt will adjust your attitude for you!  Maybe you'll try it on, take one look and say, "Wow!  This is a really fun look!"  Who knows?  Maybe leopard will become one of your signature looks!  It's never too late to add a signature look to your repertoire!  (By the way, in case you were wondering, I'm sort of glad they walked away because .... I bought the skirt!)

Welcoming Myself to 2012!

As I begin 2012 with my very first post on my very first blog, I'm trying hard not to dwell on 2011 and the mistakes I may have made, the goals not met, and any other disappointment about which I could beat myself up.  After all, I probably already spent a decent amount of time beating myself up when the disappointment first occurred!  (Come to think of it, that's probably why I've had a stiff neck for the last two weeks - I've spent too much time looking backward at my "mistakes" rather than forward at my possibilities.  I'm sure there is a lesson my body is trying to teach me about the pain of looking back.)  So, forward I go, with my trusty pink laptop and my pink rhinestone mouse, I dedicate this blog to all the girls who have been called, "silly," or, "shallow," or any other word that diminishes their love for all things girly!
My blog is called, "I Like Pink. I Like Shoes."  When I was trying to come up with a name for my blog, I was completely clueless.  My husband asked me what I liked and what I wanted to say in my blog.  In a rather silly manner, I started rattling off things I like - girly things - fun things - cutesy things - and from my ramblings, my husband suggested "I Like Pink. I Like Shoes."  Ahh... a smart man, my husband.  It may not be the catchiest blog name out there in the blog world, but this is my blog and it captures the girly attitude I want my blog to have.  So.... after what has turned out to be a terribly long explanation about the name of my blog, here we go, moving forward into 2012...
It's January and in Michigan that means one thing - cold.  I don't like to be cold and it makes me yearn for warm weather - sandal weather - strappy sandal weather - specifically my silver metallic peace sign Donald J. Pliner leather slides that my generous husband bought for me for my birthday last year.  Perhaps if I take off my warm, wooly socks and put on my silver sandals, I'll be able to mentally transport myself to a warm, upcoming summer when wearing the sandals will be a reality and not merely a wish.  I'm a little bored today - so much to do, so little time, yet very little ambition on this cold January day in Michigan.  I decided to watch a YouTube video of Julia Child making her famous Boeuf Bourguignon.  I've spent my entire life wishing I could have a colorful life such as the life she led.  I'm grateful to be able to witness her talent and her charm through the videos posted on YouTube.  For a while, I feel like she is giving a cooking lesson only to me, and when the lesson is over, I will take myself shopping in my silver metallic peace sign Donald J. Pliner leather slides, and purchase all the items necessary to prepare this feast for my husband.  To most, it seems like such a "50's Housewife" thing to do, and it was, and sadly, it is, but it's what I like - it's what I would do if only time would allow it.  My perception of cooking is that it's very girly - I've made it so - with my pink KitchenAid mixer, my pink KitchenAid toaster, my pink Cuisinart food processor, and my various pink knives and kitchen gadgets I use almost daily in any food preparation done in my kitchen.  My kitchen is a very pink world and I love it.
I know "they" say it is silly to make New Year's resolutions, but for me and my 2012, I resolve to spend more time in my pink kitchen doing what I love to do - utilizing my pink gadgets to make meals for my husband, much like a 50's housewife.  They were always wearing dresses and sweet, high-heeled shoes, greeting their husbands with a smile, knowing dinner is waiting on the table.  I wonder if those ladies knew just how very lucky they were, getting to stay home and do the very thing I would love to do, if only I had more time. 
I would have been very comfortable as a 50's housewife - it seems to me that it was a very "pink" thing to be, and it doesn't get much more girly than that.