happy friday, friends--and happy weekend. it was a crazy week for me--busy with work--so i’m looking forward to two days of rest and relaxation, which hopefully will include friend time, beach time, and finishing my book (the brief wondrous life of oscar wao, which i’m thoroughly enjoying). what are your plans? are you doing anything exciting, heading anywhere fun?
i had a little epiphany this week, and it happened on thursday, when i was getting a haircut. before making the appointment to get the cut--which was nothing drastic, just a trim and some layers--i’d been thumbing through magazines and looking through flickr photos and blogs like the sartorialist’s for inspiration. that, of course, led to me pining for some of the clothes, hairstyles, and makeup i saw in the pictures, and i went into my hair appointment hoping that i’d come out a changed woman--that my new cut would magically translate into new style; something like the flawlessly coiffed girls i see parading in and out of starbucks with their skinny vanilla lattes, their makeup application precise, their clothes perfectly pressed. it always looks so effortless for others, doesn’t it?
see, i am the girl who will walk into starbucks and spill her skinny vanilla latte down the front of her white shirt. one side of my hair is usually wavier than the other (unless i flat-iron it into submission, and most days i don’t). my clothes wrinkle the second i put them on, and my manicure is pretty much non-existent. i sweat. i clean up nicely, but i will never be one of those starbucks girls. and that perceived inadequacy is something i’ve struggled with for awhile.
so i’m sitting in the hairstylist’s chair thinking about this, and all of the sudden i realized that, hey, it’s ok. i am a happy person. i have a great family, the best friends anyone could ever ask for, a job that i truly enjoy, the sweetest little white cat you ever did see, an apartment five minutes from the beach that i love more and more each day—the list goes on and on. i’m healthy, i’m happy. i have a lot.
part of the struggle i’ve been having over the past few weeks is, i think, a quarter-life identity crisis. and it’s been a little tough. there are days when i look in the mirror and think, "what do you want to do with your life?" i’ve mentioned before that 27 is my scary age; that i’ve inadvertently set myself up for all of these weird life expectations. but on thursday, i decided that i really need to work toward letting go of all that, to enjoy the moment, and to focus on all of the things i listed above that make me so happy and that are the tapestry of my life. starting now.
have a wonderful weekend, everyone. xoxo
image via the sartorialist. i love how happy and natural this girl looks, don’t you?
Hi - well said. There is just a crazy amount of pressure I think to look good - but crucially to look like you look good without all the effort. I see lots of women who do look great but they also try a little toooo hard. What I think you mean here is the effortless types and indeed they are hard to emulate! I figure - make the best of what you have. Don't worry about where life is heading - my policy is to think about three months ahead maximum! Any more than that and it gets scary...
ReplyDeleteAnd yes this girl looks very chilled and elegant...lovely, don't know how Scott Schumann, The Sartorialist does it so consistently!
Lou x
This post is AWESOME. What you said, I have to believe, sounds like something that a lot of women go through. I've been struggling along in the same kind of near-panic about where my life is going. And I finally came to the same conclusion that you did. I have so much good stuff in my life and if certain little things aren't just happening for me, I can either work on them slowly or let them go. I can't change overnight and there are certain things that just plain don't matter to awful much.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I hope you have a great weekend!!