Plastic Box

Inspiration

I have BRIGHT (and I mean bright) yellow nail polish on today and it's causing a streak of optimism in me. As I was unpacking my laptop and cords this morning to get started with the typical Friday craziness, I caught sight of one of the new inspirational cards that I hung on my cube wall and I instantly wanted to share it here. Enjoy!

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best. Forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. Give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. Live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you!

- Christian D. Larson

I love you THIS much

Oh PostSecret, you did not disappoint this week. These  are my favorites, though I think all of them in this week's batch are incredible.

     

....and my favorite thing of all about this site is that sometimes, when the moon is high and the stars are bright, someone sees a secret that was meant just for them... and they answer it:

..."seven days"...

We're on a horror flick streak.

So... ya know... don't come up behind me and

(A) whisper

(B) wheeze

(C) breathe heavy

(D) tap lightly on my shoulder

(E) drip liquid on the floor slowly

(F) recite a nursery rhyme

(G) say "wanna see something scary?"

Identity

Maren sent me this great blog link last week and I absolutely adore this woman's style. She has the perfect coloring and body type to pull all of these pieces off beautifully, and it really inspired me to think about what "my style" really is. I have a lot of crap in my closet and the sum of these parts does not add up to a "look" or "clothes personality."

Maybe I should start by pulling out some favorite pieces, paying attention to color, cut, and fit. For example, I have about 6 cowl-neck sweaters and very very few collared button-downs. I tend to fancy skirts rather than pants, unless I pair the latter with sexy heels that hurt my knees (fashion is pain, people). Sweater dresses with knee-high boots, check! Blazers, absolutely not.

If I had my way, I'd probably scrap my wardrobe and start over using the above blog link as inspiration. Embrace my inner vintage librarian! Don't think I could pull off some of her collars, but the tights would be perfect.

So instead of catching up on work today I'm dragging bins and hangers out of my closet. New year, new look? Eh, slowly but surely. :)

To take the edge off...

...that ridiculously depressing post, I give you two of my favorite secrets from this week's batch on Post Secret:

   

The first one gets double points for including an image of Betty Draper from Mad Men.

Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.

.... I wanted to get rid of the negativity and downright mopiness of the original post that used to live here.

I didn't write it with the intent to get so much amazing feedback, I genuinely wrote it from a bad place where I felt so unsure of myself and of life in general. I don't claim to know much more today than I did yesterday, but I do know that there has to be something else I can do to change my responses and overall attitude.

You all are so wonderful, and the kind things you've said about me only reflect those same traits in you. What I should write about here is how thankful I am to have been a part (no matter how small) of any of your lives, how fortunate our meetings have been, how much each of you have allowed me to be so many things that I wouldn't have been on my own.

So I am trying, as of today, to live a more authentic life...to ask for help when I need it...and to not overextend my spirit or my body solely for another person's gain. Focusing on the self is the only way I can hope to be good at any of it: love, work, friendship, service.

Thank you.