Dec 8, 2020 | Be you, Encouragement, Enough |
Hey, skinny jeans.
I know that you have
felt my absence.
It’s nothing personal…
I still like you.
I also like breathing.
Things have changed
in the last 10 months
and what was once
‘fit like a glove’
is now painful contortion.
It’s not you.
It’s me.
You can’t encompass
the results of
my coping mechanisms.
Netflix,
ice cream,
sitting in a chair and writing,
watching movies with the kids,
and lots of snacks, and not an
equal amount of walks,
have been my regulars.
It would be unfair
to us both
to ask you to
hold all of me.
I should tell you,
I don’t feel badly
when I pass you over
each day.
I don’t feel guilt or shame
that my curves no longer fit
within your seams.
You require that I be less,
but I am more.
I’ve changed.
I am stronger than I’ve ever been before.
I’ve seen more and felt more.
I’ve hurt more.
I am softer.
I am more reliant.
I need more than I thought.
I need less than I thought.
A paradox like the rest of life.
Skinny jeans –
It’s not you,
it’s me.
You ask me to be less,
but I am more.
#PermissionGranted
Aug 19, 2020 | Be you, Permission Granted |
Imperfect is real.
Perfection
renders us
counterfeit,
forces us
to conceal.
Don’t give in
to the pressure that
the world serves up
because
we need real
more than we need
a show.
We need soft hearts in tune.
We need bodies ready to work.
We need
open minds on the same page.
We need blood, sweat, and tears.
We need vulnerable.
We need all of the quirks
that make you,
You,
to show up in
full display,
no camouflage.
Fake perpetuates
the status quo.
We must do
better than that.
#PermissionGranted
Jul 23, 2020 | Be you, Becoming |
Leap
Shuffle
Saunter
Crawl
towards
your
purpose
passion and
possibilities.
We were created to
Grow
Change
Shift
Learn.
Be who you are,
right where you are
but don’t stay there.
#PermissionGranted
Apr 22, 2020 | Be you, Becoming |
Dial it back
Cuddle up
Keep it simple
Make it special
Listen
Learn
Understand
Rest
Create
Take up your space
Feel what you feel
Don’t dwell there
Hold hope
Cling to truth
Let go of what you can’t hold.
Be safe
Pray
Strengthen roots
Extend grace
Be present
Grow
Give
Be who you are
Right where you are.
#PermissionGranted
How can you practice being, friend?
Jan 31, 2020 | Be you, Becoming |
This being who you are –
who you are meant to be –
is not an easy road to walk.
And sometimes I
think it is supposed to be.
And that’s a lie.
I believe it is
worth the fight.
It’s worth wading
through the lies,
the pain, the grief,
the strife and anger
to get to a place
where you can
pursue what you are made for.
So if you are struggling,
it may not because
you are pursuing
the wrong thing.
It may just be that
being a whole person
is hard, worthy work.
#PermissionGranted
Dec 18, 2019 | Be you, Encouragement |
I got my gray covered yesterday.
It was showing up, super sparkly and well, gray.
And I’m just not ready for that.
My earrings were sitting on the counter so that they were safe from staining color. I asked my hairdresser to please not let me forget them and she said, “Oh, I will!” I laughed. She likes them, too! It’s safe to say the beaded earrings are one of my favorite pairs.
The earrings make a statement.
They are colorful.
They are bold.
They take up space.
They are fierce.
They are unique.
I wear them often – even now as I write this, in a scarf, sweatshirt, jeans, and duck boots – nestled into hair I have not combed today.
Later in my appointment, my hairdresser said to another woman in the room, whom I had just met, “Look at these earrings!” And she held up my work-of-art earrings for all to see. Everyone oohed and ahhhed over them and I enjoyed their appreciation of my favorite art to wear. My new acquaintance then said, “They suit you.”
And I was speechless for a second because that is one of the best compliments that I’ve been given! I believe she also likely saw the earrings the same way I do –
colorful,
bold,
fierce,
unique.
And she said they suit me.
She doesn’t know me, but she’s saying that’s what I am even on a day when I was feeling low, when everything was gray, not just my hair, and I was feeling about as far from fierce as one can get, and yet she said the earrings suited me.
I said, “Thank you, I appreciate that!”
And I tucked this away in my heart but it kept asking to be shared.
On the days when you question your worth – don the expensive shoes.
When you feel like bold is something you were in a previous chapter of life, go ahead and wear your statement piece.
If you are feeling a bit gray, wear fierce anyway.
When we feel off, when smiles are hard to come by – that’s the day to wear the red shoes or the bold jewelry pieces because these are the days that we need reminded who we are. When we wear what we love, it’s a way of reminding ourselves we are worthy of love.
So the next time you comment on someone’s earrings, shoes, or dress – remember that you might be speaking to her heart and not just her sense of fashion.
#PermissionGranted
Like these earrings?
Support women-owned businesses and get you a pair at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ukaome.
