Style

Well this will likely be a random and mildly uninteresting blog post for most of you, but I have had a slight epiphany. This past week I went out on a whim and dyed my hair very dark and truthfully, I hope nobody likes it as much as the blonde streaks I've replaced. Because, well, I LOVE IT! and what a nice reminder that I can do something for my taste without a care for what others think.

I believe in an attempt to live more minimally, less materialistic, and more natural this year I lost touch with my personal style. I completely underestimated the feeling of being comfortable in your skin and expressing yourself in a way that you love and is natural to you. 

Here's to striking a balance with organic living and unique self expression. Bye-bye, blonde!

Smile

One of my own pieces of advice that I've always given myself is to smile with my eyes. I'm the girl that wants crows feet by age 30. Life is just easier this way. 

"If you really knew how to live, what better way to start the day than with a smile? Smiling helps you to approach the day with gentleness and understanding. Smile with your whole being." Thich Nhat Hanh 

Different

I understand the biological and emotional reasons explaining why we want to be accepted by others. But have we ever stopped ourselves long enough to recognize that we were not born to be accepted and loved by everybody? That each time somebody isn't interested in you or leaves you hanging, that you might just be different? At different stages in life? Different goals? Different attraction? I'm just wondering, in this moment, why when we've been denied connection with another individual, it cuts so deep at our self-worth? For it does not mean you weren't good enough or beautiful enough, but rather that your souls weren't aligned at that time.

Rejection hurts. It hurts even when you understand the rationale and the complexities, but it does not need to be shameful. Thank your stars for allowing it all to happen and therefore opening new doors for you down the road. Too, be thankful for the connections and memories you did make. Appreciate them for who they are as humans and what they were to you- adventurous, mysterious, deep, short-lived, etc.- and not for what you believed they could be. Life sorts itself out. 

And, as always, respect, love, and compassion come first. Towards yourself and others.