WEEKEND THINGS

Good morning and happy weekend.

I don't have too much to report.  Relative to some of my other weekends this month, I'm keeping it pretty mellow.  Other than teaching at the studio and singing at church, my calendar is mostly blank.

And I love it.

Wishing you a fluffy, white bed to hide in for too long on Saturday and a beautiful, hope-filled sunshine-y Easter Sunday.

Alleluia.

Amen.

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CHAOS + CALM

When my life is extra crazy, I try to stay calm by pretending everything is calm and easy and peaceful.

Cue this song on my life soundtrack:

Don't need no tv, I don't need no phone - oh wait, it's ringing?  I'll be right there...

Happy Thursday.  Any good songs I need to listen to?  Share below!!

P.S. can't get enough of Casey Abrams?  check out this porch session.

PUT ME IN, COACH

Wow.

I've been getting pretty serious around here lately.  Tackling self-esteem, life clutter management, the new trend of imperfection...

Let's keep it nice and light today, shall we?

I get emails from a million different retailers and try my hardest to ignore them (and yes, I know I can unsubscribe, but I just love the eye candy, okay?)... but sometimes I take the bait and click-through.

Sometimes I buy, usually I don't, but I always love to play the "what would I buy if I had no budget" game.

Coach's shoes this season had me pretty much bankrupt even with the imaginary millions.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Which is your favorite?  Any others that I missed?

BE KIND

Have you ever had a friend admit to being self-conscious about a certain trait, physical quality, or mannerism that you never-in-a-million-years would have noticed?

When you look in the mirror, or at a picture of yourself... what are the "problem" areas that you hone in on?

More often than not, all those hang-ups you have about yourself are not noticeable to others.

If you look in the mirror and instantly despise that left eyebrow with one stray hair that was too short to get with the tweezers... you're not getting it.

Same applies with non-physical attributes...

If you look back on your weekend and ignore all the awesome stuff you did and hone in on the one commitment that fell though (yes I'm talking to myself here)... you're not getting it.

Be kind to yourself.

The same way you'd be kind to a friend.  A best friend.  A cherished person in whom you see so much beauty and allow the teeny tiny flaws to just fade away.

Forgive the moments of imperfection.  Forgive the stray hair, or chipped nail polish, or outfit that looked good at 6am in the dark before you had your coffee, or the bathroom sink that looks clean, but didn't get a thorough scrubbing this weekend.

The less you allow these negative, critical thoughts to creep in, the more room you'll have for the positive ones, the productive ones, and slowly, but surely, these positive, productive thoughts will be on the forefront of your mind.

Being overly self-critical is a bad habit.  It isn't a truth and it isn't just the way you are.  You (and I) can break the habit, and you (and I) deserve to.

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SIMPLE

"Life is not complex.  We are complex.

Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing."

- Oscar Wilde

Good morning.

I have been thinking a lot lately...

I've been thinking about my tastes and preferences in life and whether or not those tastes and preferences are reflected in my home, my appearance, the way I spend my time, and with whom I spend my time.

For example, if I'm being completely honest, my favorite color is probably white.  I love things to be clean and simple.  I get feelings of anxiety if there.is.too.much.stuff.crowding.me.

For some reason, though, when I create my life, or my schedule, I set myself up for chaos.

Take Saturday.  A day I stated earlier this month that I would claim for myself.

Saturday I woke up at 6:15 to get ready.  I headed to the exercise studio at approximately 6:40 to teach the 7:15 class.  Since I was there already, I took the 8:30 class.

After class I drove with my new friend to a trailhead at Mt. Diablo.  We went on a hike.  We chatted about life and got a killer workout (still sore).  I truly enjoyed the conversation and the sunshine.

3,849 feet at the summit

I was supposed to then visit my sister and niece, but they were exhausted and it was later in the day than anticipated.  Major fail on my part.  I still feel bad about it.

I then went home, did some chores, made some dinner, and got ready to head out again.

By the time I got home, I crashed pretty hard... and then had to drag myself out of bed early on Sunday for another busy (good busy) day.

All of these things are good things.  I value all of these things.  I truly don't want to give up any of these things.  They are all of equal importance and feed different parts of my spirit...

but...

My apartment is chaos right now.  I started a project last weekend that still isn't done and couldn't (didn't?) finish this weekend.  It looks like IKEA exploded in my living room... 

I definitely could use a nice relaxing bubble bath.  And a nap.  And, even if I were home, so is the 20-year-old intern from my work that I agreed to host/house.  And she is very sweet... but I don't feel relaxed or at home when my home isn't just mine.

I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining.  I'm really not intending to, anyway.

I'm trying to sort everything out and, according to my expertise, the best way to start organizing things... is to lay it all out there.  It gets worse before it gets better, right?

So here I am, laying out all the clutter that is my life right now.  Clutter that I cherish and that I have built up around myself.  I have spent years accumulating it all.

And it's time to figure out a reasonable way to pare down.  Spring cleaning for the soul.

As I said, all of this clutter feeds a different part of my spirit.  We are complex.  I am complex.  I need all of my clutter.  I just need to figure out a way to feed my spirit that isn't so exhausting.

Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.

What does that mean?  I am, obviously, struggling to find the answer.

Any insights?  I'd love to hear from you.

THE LITTLE THINGS 3/24/13

I have a lot of things to be thankful for in the grand scheme of things, but try to focus on the small stuff once a week.  Here's my weekly recap:

- SPRING.  Rain, shine, I don't care.  Spring has sprung and, even in California, there is definitely a noticeable change in the air.

- Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons.  My ex came by this week to pick up the last of his things (I've been storing them for quite some time) and I found myself without pots and pans.  I'll review the cookware I snagged (for a KILLER deal) in a couple months after I get some good use out of it :)

- Bloglovin'.  I'm sure you've heard, but Google Reader will go bye-bye as of July 1.  I've officially made the switch and actually love it.

- All of my families.  Church family, studio family, work family (dysfunctional as it may be), friend family, and of course my "real" family.  My schedule may be hectic, but I have so much support coming from so many directions - it's awesome.

- Cheap manicures.  Oakland may be in the news for violent crime on a weekly basis, but this $10 manicure I'm sporting is still in tip-top shape after 5 days.

What's the deal with the picture above?  In less than a month I will be celebrating with four fabulous girls in Las Vegas for my best friend's bachelorette party.  Watch out.

Happy Friday, friends!!

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IMPERFECT VS PERFECT

I read an article last week about imperfectionism (which apparently isn't even a word - how imperfect of them).

I don't want to say it bothered me, but something about it wasn't quite right. (read it yourself)

I'm sure you've noticed an upswing in "real life" posts on a lot of blogs out there, too.  The things I'm afraid to tell you craze that took off last year was a great reminder that the shiny and polished lives people instagram, tweet, and post about are only brief glimpses into very "normal" and imperfect lives.

Somehow, Jennifer Lawrence has become the unofficial spokeswoman of imperfection.

Did you know she fell at the Academy Awards?

(I sincerely hope you caught my internet sarcasm there)

Before I get ahead of myself, let me state very clearly that I think Jennifer Lawrence is beautiful, talented, and that her candid nature is very refreshing.

But I don't think that celebrating her unabashed openness needs to go hand-in-hand with bashing the more polished women in the spotlight.

I mean, in the same sentence that people praise Ms. Lawrence's foul language or, shall we call them, uncensored facial expressions, they feel the need to put down Anne Hathaway.

(note: I have noticed this in several articles, blogs, and other forms of social media - this observation is not isolated to the article I referenced)

Can we not celebrate both?

Can we not admire Jennifer Lawrence's free spirit and perfectly tousled hair and conversational tone and off-the-cuff interviews?

Can we not also admire Anne Hathaway's professional spirit and perfectly coiffed pixie cut and articulate interview responses and acceptance speeches?

Don't get me wrong - I love the notion that there is beauty in our imperfections.  My apartment is a little crazy right now.  But it's a little crazy because I had a fantastic weekend and I set chores aside in favor of a hike and a wedding celebration.  There is undeniable beauty in that.

But when I get home tonight I'm going to sweep and vacuum and finish the projects I started and do laundry and go grocery shopping.  And my apartment is going to be shiny and clean.  And my life is going to look pretty polished and professional.  And that is beautiful, too.

I guess what I'm saying is... celebrating imperfections and perfections doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. 

Let's continue to be honest and open and share our "real life" moments... but when you work hard and that hard work pays off and you have something shiny and perfect to share, you shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed or afraid that someone will rain on your parade and call you a phony.

Let's not turn Anne Hathaway into a villain or an insulting name to call someone who seems to have it all together and Jennifer Lawrence into a hero for being "real" and sometimes behaving a little unprofessionally (there, I said it - it is, after all, her job to be in the public eye).

I, for one, embody a little bit of both of them (and I'm pretty sure everyone else does, too).

Imperfect and perfect can (and do) coexist.

I would love to hear from you on this issue.  What's your take on imperfect vs. perfect?

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