Princesses often find themselves weighing and evaluating ideas that many people never feel the need to ponder. Being an insomniac, this princess quite frequently has more than enough time to consider the meaning of life, not to mention all the things in the world that could be made better by the addition of purple and/or sparkles. (Sometimes purple and sparkles are just too much together… but this is a VERY rare occasion.)
One night, while the rest of the world was peacefully sleeping, I was awake and engaged in a moment of introspection and self reflection. As I was contemplating the world and how I fit in to it, I discovered a piece of wisdom that stuck with me.
Sometimes the world is so big it takes your breath away.
Sometimes the world is so small you can’t breathe.
Either way, you turn blue and pass out.
Essentially, life is hard and sometimes knocks you down. But, once you wake back up, you get back up! Tenacity and flexibility are the some of the most effective tools to cutting your own path in the world.
Metaphorically (and on occasion literally) I have turned blue and passed out. It is not very princess like, but, hey… it happens. Upon waking, though, I usually find the world is not so scary. Each time this happens, I find myself surrounded by people I love, and who love me, ready and waiting to help me stand back up. Those people and their faith in me are what give me the courage to be tenacious and flexible.
After all, courage comes from knowing love is waiting on the other side of scary.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Almost Seeing...
Princesses meet many people in their day to day lives and I am no different in this respect. Some people, though, take a while to come into focus. SA was one of those people for me.
SA and I had been acquaintances for several months (and later realized we had met a couple years earlier) prior to the moment we knew we had found a kindred spirit. We had similar interests and involvements, overlapping social circles and common friends, and pleasantly exchanged greetings when meeting. All in all, I think we qualified as completely courteous contacts. Until one fateful November afternoon…
I arrived in full princess fashion (i.e. late) to a BBQ for the young adults group I was a member of at our church. I wandered around the deck, being polite and greeting everyone, and finally deciding on a place appropriate to pronounce a throne. The afternoon was going very well with lively chatter and general levity, when one of the members of the group addressed another member who happened to work in the same facility. The exchange went something like this:
Luis: “Oh, Rachel! I almost saw you the other day!”
I arrived in full princess fashion (i.e. late) to a BBQ for the young adults group I was a member of at our church. I wandered around the deck, being polite and greeting everyone, and finally deciding on a place appropriate to pronounce a throne. The afternoon was going very well with lively chatter and general levity, when one of the members of the group addressed another member who happened to work in the same facility. The exchange went something like this:
Luis: “Oh, Rachel! I almost saw you the other day!”
*Princess Brandi snickers*
Rachel: “Oh yeah? ”
Luis: ""Yeah, I almost saw you at the gym."
*Princess Brandi and SA start chuckling*
Luis: “I saw your car it he parking lot, but I did not see you in the gym. I must have just missed you”
Rachel: “Oh that’s too bad. Come to think of it I almost saw you too! I noticed your car as I was coming out of the gym."
*Catching each other’s eyes, Princess Brandi and SA loose all composure and erupt in to full laughter *
At this point, SA and I were laughing so hard we could barely breathe and the rest of the group just stared at us as if we had gone insane. We tried explaining the absurdity of “almost seeing” someone, but no one else really found it as funny as we did.
SA and I finally calmed down and began blending in with the rest of the group, but we both knew we had stumbled upon something pretty cool. Later we would recognize that moment as the day we found one of the rarest of treasures in each other. A friend that sees your world.
There is nothing almost about that kind of friend.
Luis: ""Yeah, I almost saw you at the gym."
*Princess Brandi and SA start chuckling*
Luis: “I saw your car it he parking lot, but I did not see you in the gym. I must have just missed you”
Rachel: “Oh that’s too bad. Come to think of it I almost saw you too! I noticed your car as I was coming out of the gym."
*Catching each other’s eyes, Princess Brandi and SA loose all composure and erupt in to full laughter *
Luis: “What’s so funny?”
Princess Brandi: *between gasps of laughter* “How can you almost see someone???”
Princess Brandi: *between gasps of laughter* “How can you almost see someone???”
At this point, SA and I were laughing so hard we could barely breathe and the rest of the group just stared at us as if we had gone insane. We tried explaining the absurdity of “almost seeing” someone, but no one else really found it as funny as we did.
SA and I finally calmed down and began blending in with the rest of the group, but we both knew we had stumbled upon something pretty cool. Later we would recognize that moment as the day we found one of the rarest of treasures in each other. A friend that sees your world.
There is nothing almost about that kind of friend.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sometimes, being a Princess is not all it’s cracked up to be
On occasion, my Princess self-righteousness has caused me problems. Indignation and intolerance for perceived stupidity is, unfortunately, a very volatile and short fused emotion for this princess.
Take today for example. An innocent staff meeting discussing the upcoming performance evaluation standards transformed me from a pleasant (albeit sleepy) mild mannered princess into a sardonic and cynical green creature capable of spewing venom and squealing in high pitched tones audible by only bats and small pets. My opinion was well known by all in the room and subsequently by a number of acquaintances via various modes of communication. Let’s just say I was not happy.
Now, it should be noted that the information presented at the meeting I, by my account, still classified as asinine and the product of paranoia on the parts of the higher ups, but my reaction was not one of grace and composure. Instead of politely enduring the assault on my common sense and professional ethics and then quietly developing an exit plan, I felt it necessary to let my view on the matter be known.
There were no repercussions from my shrill objections and my opinion was not uncommon among the group in attendance; however, a Princess should not behave in such a way. Lesson learned for the day: Grace and Obstinance do not make good bedfellows.
Take today for example. An innocent staff meeting discussing the upcoming performance evaluation standards transformed me from a pleasant (albeit sleepy) mild mannered princess into a sardonic and cynical green creature capable of spewing venom and squealing in high pitched tones audible by only bats and small pets. My opinion was well known by all in the room and subsequently by a number of acquaintances via various modes of communication. Let’s just say I was not happy.
Now, it should be noted that the information presented at the meeting I, by my account, still classified as asinine and the product of paranoia on the parts of the higher ups, but my reaction was not one of grace and composure. Instead of politely enduring the assault on my common sense and professional ethics and then quietly developing an exit plan, I felt it necessary to let my view on the matter be known.
There were no repercussions from my shrill objections and my opinion was not uncommon among the group in attendance; however, a Princess should not behave in such a way. Lesson learned for the day: Grace and Obstinance do not make good bedfellows.
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