Mar 19, 2013 | What inspires you? |
Wearing flip-flops inspires me!
I admitted long ago that I was a flip-flop-oholic. For me this has meant, besides owning a few dozen pairs of these foot-loving treasures, taking life a bit slower and easier as well as taking most matters less seriously.
But recently a friend shared a new term that I believe better describes my approach to life. So now I say I’m a flip-floptimist! This me is more adaptable and flexible, more carefree and relaxed, more lighthearted. This me spends less time fretting and stressing and more time being content and happy.
While I would agree that I’ve not always lived by my flip-flop philosophy, it has been my life-long goal and these days I’m much more successful at implementing it.
Living in your flip-flops is about being in the moment as well as taking the scenic route (and a few detours) as you travel your life journey. And sometimes it’s about reinventing yourself into a new you. As Sandy Gingris writes in her book, How to Live in Flip-flops, “Think Cinderella absolutely transformed by her shoes…”
Sandy points out that one definition of flip-flop is a verb meaning “to suddenly reverse direction or point of view.” By the way, a change of direction is sometimes necessary and quite appropriate when reinventing your self. Flip-flopping can be a good thing!
A few tidbits of Sandy’s flip-flop wisdom that I especially appreciate include:
“When we open up our feet to the sun, our lives seem to open up also – to the stars and the moon, to the sky, to the possibilities of the horizon.”
“We are never as far away from our flip-flop selves as we might feel. If we just give ourselves a moment, we can open up to the flip-flop self within.”
“Life shouldn’t be the story of how we lose ourselves.”
Indeed, living in your flip-flops is about finding yourself – your true self, otherwise known as your flip-flop self. It’s about taking those precious needed moments for self-discovery and fulfillment.
Since I want all sisters, daughters and mammas to benefit from the power of the flip-flop, I’ve included the essay, “When your glass slipper is a flip-flop” in my upcoming book, The Queen of Damn Good Advice. I don’t want any of us to ever forget to have fun and enjoy what we’re doing. And ladies, flip-flops can help you with this endeavor.
Feb 19, 2013 | What inspires you?
What inspires you?
Welcome to my “What inspires you?” blog! I would like to devote this blog to the people or places that inspire us. And if you’re like me, I’m sure there are many other ways you get inspiration, too – such as from songs, books, movies, your pets, and so on.
You’re invited to share about YOUR “special someone, somewhere or something” in the comment box below and tell me why you were inspired! Don’t feel you have to write several paragraphs to participate. Even a one-line explanation is most welcomed!
Let’s celebrate our inspirations together!
♦
Many folks know that my mamma has been a huge inspiration in my life. So she must be the first person I honor in this blog. What inspires me most about my mamma? Her strength, stamina and ability to turn “bad” into “good” to name three!
But her life is also testament to how “a different outlook can change the course of one’s life.” Putting into practice this “mamma lesson” has rescued my own life more than a few times.
My mamma didn’t finish high school. She married and began a family too young, if you consider fifteen too young. She was a stay-at-mom with four children. But her marriage wasn’t destined for eternal bliss. Marital problems eventually led to a divorce and her departure from the only state she had ever lived.
She went on a westbound journey with her youngest child (me) with little money, few clothes, with no idea how she would support us or where we were going. She left everything behind her.
But I later understood that her leaving everything behind included leaving behind old perspectives and old ways of doing things. She had to! She could no longer be dependent on someone else. She began a working career at age forty-two and did whatever she had to do to obtain the skills she needed to be successful – which many times included taking classes at night after working all day. I saw her work her way out of poverty one day at a time and happy every step of the way. She loved learning and gaining new knowledge, skills and abilities.
She believed with all her heart that anything was possible. She had an invincible faith in a divine power. She was confident that our needs would be met – maybe not always the day we wanted, but eventually. She was patient, resolute, and determined.
Her story is not a rags-to-riches one, but I never felt without. My mamma made me feel and believe we had all we needed and wanted.
She has inspired me to also believe that anything is possible if I embrace that perspective and have the faith, patience and determination required to achieve my own dreams.
There are probably many people who have inspired me in some way, but I don’t think there is anyone who has inspired me more than my mamma!
♦
