There's a natural flow to the way humans perceive the world and our general cosmic surroundings. One might say our emotions mirror the tides - sometimes high, sometimes low...more or less intense given the state of our fleeting experiences. This week, the tides were especially strong nationwide as an entire region fought to put the pieces back together after a major storm only to batten down the hatches for another one. We re-elected a president and made some radical and progressive choices about policies within our varying states - all decisions that pleased some and offended others.
Personally, the tide's pull became all the stronger as I was fortunate enough to launch a fashion line last Saturday with a dear friend - an experience that culminated in the glitter party to end all glitter parties in our beloved downtown St. Petersburg. What was meant to be a fundraiser for a charity that is near and dear to our hearts (Feeding Children Everywhere) and a showcase of our hard work and intended efforts for the future of the fashion line became something so much larger and more beautiful.
Our Glitterama became a celebration of friendship and a testament to the fact that we are in no way complete without those that surround us and support us.
My parents instilled in me a few important lessons that I have carried with me since childhood - 1) Always under promise and over deliver 2) Try your best and don't worry about the outcome 3) Believe in yourself no matter what anyone else says... and... 4) Look out for yourself because it's possible that no one else will.
While I still carry these lessons around in my proverbial basket of perspectives, I find that the older I get, and the more my friendships evolve, number four is quickly diminishing in weight. Of course, I still guard myself fiercely against the potential sneaks and leeches of the world, but when I do encounter a spirit that I know I can benefit or that I know will benefit me and my journey, I am far more likely to reach out than to pull back. Without the spirits I have collected to this juncture, the vision I had for what this past weekend would yield would never have even manifested let alone shattered my wildest dreams into pounds and pounds of fairydust.
They say we are born into our families and we choose our friends, but I'm not sure that black and white description of life's parameters is accurate. Maybe the way I have come to look at things is a little on the "woo-woo" side, but I genuinely believe that we are all here, stumbling around, bumping into one another, covered in cosmic Velcro, waiting to see who sticks. The family we create is the collection we derive from all that stumbling and bumping, and while we may not always get along or understand one another, we are far more likely to become our best selves by knowing and experiencing each other than by wrapping ourselves in fear and paranoia so that our Velcro is rendered useless.
This morning, as the glitter is finally really settling, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the sweet souls who make me better in some little way everyday and in very big ways when there is a sparkle party to be thrown. From my parents who have supported me and my often insane ideas from birth and my husband who somehow doesn't think I am completely nuts to my cosmic sisters who I "collected" along the way and who make me a better me with every spray of glitter paint or swag bag stuffed, I am honored to be just a small portion on the universal buffet we have come together to create.
Because of all of you, I can now celebrate my weaknesses because I know that where I leave off, there you are. I may not be whole on my own, but I am whole, all the same. You make me so. And, if I can offer even a tablespoon of my own strengths to your spiritual recipe, then I am blessed.
So, by proxy, like a little bit of sugar, it seems, our weaknesses actually make life a bit sweeter.
