Photo: Keira-Anne on Flickr
Being that it’s Monday, and my head is full of thoughts, I’m about to unleash a very stream of consciousness post on you. Try to follow me.
I’ve always aimed to surround myself with amazing souls, I suppose we all do. It continues to floor me how many genuine, kind and sparkly, bright lights I have around me, and am lucky enough to continue to find. I am so blessed.
People are all very diverse and unique; in fact, no two are exactly alike. We all have different emotions, thoughts, perspectives and ways of dealing with things. We compliment and balance one another in various ways. We go through life making connections, bonding, inspiring, being inspired, loving and being loved. Sometimes we think that we know what we want when in fact, it ends up not being what we want, or need, at all. Sometimes something feels good for a while, and then it doesn’t anymore. Friendships and relationships can grow, evolve and change into something entirely different. These are all the experiences that make our lives rich and textured. Over the last little while, I’ve learned that it’s really important not to lose sight of the big picture. As I’ve said before, I’ve always been somebody who has let her emotions cloud her judgement. For the first time really, I’m seeing the world, and my life, with a new found clarity. And that’s not to say that I’m not still an emotional person. When something is on my mind, there may very well be waterworks… the important difference, is that I’m discovering how to make the best choices for myself, despite the emotional stuff. Maybe it doesn’t have to be so complicated.
I think that as we go through life, we really begin to figure out how important self awareness is. We can’t live without dreams. We are spiritual people. It’s really what feeds us. We’re creative human beings. We create arts, we move and change people. We should be thoughtful. We live our lives in front of each other, so all we can do is be honest, I think. We’re all just doing our best, you know, and as long as we’re working towards something, we’re going to make mistakes but that’s alright.
Photo: Freeland Elleblogs
“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Coco Chanel
Photo: Shoewawa
Photo: WhoWhatWear Daily
However, as fun as eccentric looks and whimsy outfits can be…fashion loves extremes, so…there is something equally as appealing about a more pulled together, classic style. Coco Chanel could walk into a room now and look fabulous. She set a standard and was adventurous but chic at the same time. Her style was timeless. That’s the beauty of fashion; anything goes. It’s all about having fun and creating a look that you feel comfortable with, because money can’t buy you fashion sense, but confidence and a keen eye can. So that leaves the question; can style be learned? I think one must be willing to observe, to experiment, to be daring and to be confident. Differences are what distinguish us from one another. Embrace your own personal style, no matter what that is. Your own uniqueness is your most precious gift.
Tips For Aspiring Stylistas:
-Treat your flaws as assets.
-Follow Chanel’s lead and start with black and white.
-Your clothes should fit you perfectly. Too tight is never stylish.
-Invest in quality. It’s better to have one good than 10 mediocre things.
-Be impeccably groomed.
-Don’t fuss with your clothes.
-Embrace drama.
-Know what suits your body type.
-Develop a style opinion. All over the map style suggests insecurity.
-Love thyself, confidence is irreplaceable.
Do you ever feel like life just whizzes by? The time only seems to go faster the older we get. The weeks are long but the years are short. I feel like I’m always asking myself where the time goes. I’m learning that living in the present brings the one thing most people spend their lives trying to achieve: peace. Relaxing in the present moment puts you in a state of calm. I’ve come to cherish the moments in life when I can take time to reflect. It’s important to me that I take some silence every day. No phones ringing, nobody asking me to do anything; a brief escape into my imagination.
Today, my work load at the office was significantly lighter than it has been in quite some time. I decided to take advantage of the fact that I could actually take a full lunch break, and I wandered down to the waterfront. After doing a loop along the path, admiring the bright, spring flowers and soaking up some much needed vitamin D, I found a spot on a bench and took a deep breath. I sat in silence, watching playful dogs run around in front of me and listening to the waves wash up on the shore.
Many of us race through life, always on our way somewhere, to do something. I’m really trying to take the time to enjoy the ride; to stop and smell the flowers, as they say. I think it’s important to allow yourself to really live the moment. Appreciate the experiences that you have. I’m not saying that we should all just float through life; only that we should pause occasionally and allow ourselves to be fully rooted in a moment and feel a sense of peace as a result.
Filed under: celebrities, fashion, inspiration, Jennifer Aniston, personal style
Photo: Keira-Anne on Flickr
If there’s one thing that I have realized over the last few months, especially in travelling to different parts of the country, it’s that I am, without any doubt, a West Coast girl through and through. I love Vancouver, I really do.
When Keira, another true West Coast babe, suggested a Saturday morning seawall walk, I knew that getting up and out there bright and early with her would do me a world of good. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to start the weekend. The two of us walked and talked for hours in the rain, taking time to explore the incredible starfish on the beach, leave our footprints in the sand and photograph the beauty around us. It was an amazing morning.
On Saturday afternoon, Shando popped by for tea and girl talk. She brought me an original work of art as a gift. To say that I am touched would be an understatement. I am beyond honoured to hang her work in my apartment. Shando’s creative flair and passion for following her heart are a true inspiration to me.
“Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work, risking, and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful: yourself.” Alan Alda
Last night, I busted out to Langley for an evening of drinks, laughs and Vanessa’s trademark potatoes. After watching the Canadiens lose to Philly in game five (and subsequently, having a minor breakdown about it), we were off to the pub for a few more cold ones and some quality time together. Casual nights of this kind are my favourite. Good friends are the greatest treasure in the universe.
I’ve realized over the last few days how much I am blown away by authenticity. This has been a weekend rich with authentic people and authentic experiences. Time goes by quickly, and with that in mind, I think it’s important to take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you’ve never been hurt because, as they say, “every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you’ll never get back.”
Photo: Glassy Eye on Flickr
“There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.”
Recent conversations with a friend who is going through a rough time have stirred up a myriad of thoughts in my busy mind.
Release is defined as the act of letting go. In every situation, you can either take responsibilty and attempt to make things happen, or you can choose to let go. Is one option better or worse? Obviously, every situation is different. If you’re talking about a toxic aspect of your life, there’s a good chance that you will need to let go in order to create a better reality for yourself. That’s just so much easier said than done though, isn’t it? Many emotions and beliefs can be lingering inside our heads which prevent us from creating a better reality for ourselves. Sometimes negative thoughts can clutter our minds and take up the space needed in order to imagine and create a life based on what we want. The reality is, it’s unfortunate that bad things happen to us, but they do. Clinging to the psychic debris left behind can sometimes do even more damage than the actual event itself.
The human heart is remarkably resilient. I forget that sometimes. I’ve learned that although it may be difficult at times, it’s important for me to trust my heart in order to release the aspects of my life that stagnate me.
I’ve never understood why people talk about letting go like it’s so easy. If letting go was easy to do, I wouldn’t have spent so much time with Mr. All Wrong. What’s the point of clinging to something not worth hanging on to? Is it just that there isn’t anything else that seems more appealing at the moment? Is it the faint hope that a situation or a person will change, or come to their senses? I think that sometimes we need to let people leave their mark on us, even if it scars.
Photo: Seminomad on Flickr
It has been said that “the heart has reasons, which reason knows nothing of…” I think that’s true. When you feel it, it’s there. You can’t choose love, love chooses you. Your heart decides how it feels, often without consulting your head first. The key, I believe, is being open to love. That’s the tricky part.
An old friend of mine used to always say, “Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment.” In my life, emotions are always clouding everything up. When it comes to love, I’m pretty sure that my emotions have kept my judgment murky for my entire life. I fall for the wrong guys, I probably blow off most of the right ones. Am I just impossible to please? You see, I can name at least five boys I have crushes on right this minute, but would I actually want to date any of them seriously? Not really. So often, the bartender of love serves up a foamy mug of lust. In the past, I’ve been okay with that. I’ve always loved my peanut gallery, and to be honest, getting serious with someone was not really at the top of my priorities at one time. I much preferred light hearted convo and casual encounters. As I get older, I can’t help beginning to think in terms of permanence. I can’t fight the desire inside me to settle down, without settling.
I had my heart stomped on until it was black and blue by someone I had been sure was my soul mate. Love came at me like a truckload of pudding, careening off a sugary highway; however, what initially seemed sweet, left me broken hearted and with a gut ache. I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that part of me is afraid of that happening again, so I have kept myself guarded to some degree. I believe that trust is the most important thing in a relationship; however, trust can be painfully difficult to give once you’ve been taken advantage of. What I’m starting to realize though, is that I will never find love again if I don’t allow myself to be open to the possibility. I’ve decided that it may be best to abandon my Penny Lane theory, which is, “never take it seriously, ’cause if you never take it seriously then you never get hurt and if you never get hurt then you always have fun.” I bought into that for a long time. I really thought that Bob Dylan had it all figured out, “if you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.” Guess what…it’s bullshit, because most often, whether you define something or not, the feelings are still there. At the end of the day, whether you’ve lost anything or not, with that attitude, you still have nothing. It’s pretty easy to get stuck in a rut, become unable to move forward, even when you are painstakingly aware that you’re not getting what you deserve out of a situation.
So I’m opening myself up once again to the idea that I could fall in love and more importantly, that it may work out. I’m not going to live my life being too afraid to love someone for fear that they might not love me back. I can’t allow the fear that it might turn out like it did before hold me back from experiencing what there is or what there could be in this world.
