I went with some friends to see the Nutcracker presented by the Colorado Ballet last night. I hadn’t seen the show since I was a little girl. I think I was 8 when my mom took me, so I didn’t remember much except that I had loved seeing the ballerinas seem to float across the stage. It was like I was watching the show for the first time all over again. I found myself mesmerized by the dancers, their costumes and the stage scenery. The detail in the backdrops reminded me of why I fell in love with art to begin with. The sparkly and magic of the performances reminded me of being a little girl and wanting so much to be able to dance and twirl and sparkle across stage.

Walking along the twinkling lights after seeing the Colorado Ballet's Nutcracker

So it got me thinking… every little girl wants to be the star of her own show. She wants to sparkle and feel important. She wants to be pretty and have people like her. She wants to do something that she is proud of. How that stage looks and what she is important at differs tremendously.

It’s important to provide the encouragement and special moments so every girl can grow up to be a confident woman that feels like she can accomplish anything… so she can sparkle.

Every girl wants to sparkle is a post from: 100 Directions

I hardly ever go to the mailbox. It’s a chore assigned to my husband because it’s usually a blue moon when we get something not bill related from the post office. I, being the one in charge of dishing out chores, prefer to deny that there is such a thing as ugly as a bill… so my delegation skills come in handy here.

Without going into any more detail on such a dull story – I decided to check the mailbox myself today and it proved to be a fabulous choice. Look what happiness was waiting for me:

Oh Yes! A penguin postcard from Oakland, California (did you know they have penguins there? Yeah really!).

It’s not my birthday, nor have I done anything great on purpose lately – yet my fabulous friend Trisha Lyn took a moment to send me this penguin postcard… and even included a plug for my own website. I hope the postlady read it and went and bought a t-shirt. THIS my dear pals is an example of what it means to be Trishalicious.

That girl is way better than sliced bread, definitely cooler than a popsicle in Minnesota in January. She’s the bees knees I’d say except I don’t really know what that means so  what I mean is…

You’re the Bomb Trisha, Thanks for making my day!

So the bonus moral to the message is: it’s a difficult task to be a good friend these days. So many directions to go, so much that needs to get done. With family and jobs and obligations, often times we might find ourselves not prioritizing those that are important to us. Not everyone can earn the honor of wearing an official Trishalicious t-shirt… but everyone should try.

Doodle On!

Everyone should be Trishalicious is a post from: 100 Directions

I met a 5 year old girl today (5 and 3/4 to be exact) who blew me away with her personality. I was at the park while my son practiced baseball and my daughter played on the playground. This little girl walked up and started playing with my daughter… neither saying a word to one another, just interacting and eventually the conversation began to grow. An hour later they were pals, and I learned something amazing.

Some people really do know who they are at a young age. This little girl knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to approach people. She was kind, happy, eager to share yet didn’t comprimise what she wasn’t ok with. Without showing you a video, it’s probably difficult to describe the actions of such a young mind, but watching her was amazing.

I’ve read stories and watched movies where there were characters that are shining stars in the eyes of others, this girl had that sparkle no doubt. I wonder if she knows it and I wonder when she will realize it. Will she retain the knowledge of her grand potential and grow it or will she do like many of us and hide from our own self inflicted uncertainty?

Whatever it is and how ever it happens, this girl has something special and her letting it out for the world to see inspired me today.

Be true to yourself and be proud of it. Pretend you’re 5 again and just run out and be the you that you want to be!

When did you realize who you are? is a post from: 100 Directions

I’ve loved the art of Sandra Boynton since I first discovered it, eons ago. I think my first encounter with her whimsical critters was when my now 14 year old was about 2… her books for toddlers are hilarious, fun and so full of life. I started to collect all that I could.

Now I make sure to include at least one of her books in every baby gift I buy. I also gotta have the Mom’s Calendar – not only is it fabulously fun, it’s designed to accommodate the schedule of a real mom. besides, who doesn’t want dancing cows, pigs and yes, even penguins, on their kitchen wall?

There are only a few people in the universe I would love to shake hands with. Sandra Boynton is one of those people… and after watching this video, I now know she’s a permanent name on that wish list. The video ends with her say something to the effect of, “I just want to show there is good in the world”. She’s living proof that there is success and happiness in a happy little land of giggles.

Thanks to Tina Burke for sharing this video.

More fun stuff from Sandra Boynton:

Sandra Boynton greeting cards, tshirts, hoodies and even sneakers!

One of a few women I'd love to meet – Sandra Boynton is a post from: 100 Directions

First impressions are invaluable, but holding a conversation is even more important. For a lot of us meeting or talking with important people is a very intimidating activity. Really, stop and think about it, they’re people too. They burp and giggle and probably laugh so hard they’ve snorted at least once.So why be so worried about what they think?

I’ve recently realized I’m not really intimidated by the meeting or  the “being the presence of” big important people as much as I’m worried about boring these people to tears. I’ve meet some amazing people, not realizing who I was talking to and done just fine. However, once I realize the smart factor, I’m at a loss for words. Some people worry me more than others and I’m sure that my worrying is because are 900 million other people someone can talk to at any time, I gotta make sure my time is well spent. That’s a lot of pressure!

I can hold my own.

I have a few bits of gray matter that do function from time to time.  Yet it’s that – “wow they’re smart” thought process that freaks me out. Or maybe it’s that critical eye look. You know the one.. the “huh, that’s an interesting – what the heck are you saying??” kind of look. I get that a lot. Completely different issue though, that’s my thought process and mouth not working together so pig latin comes out instead.

I’m also a multi-tasker to the core. I’m so scattered. I’m ok with my scatteredness… which is very apparent when you walk into my home. But, really, what brilliant brain wants to sit around talking with a stumbling (I don’t know what bumbling is) idiot?

It’s not about smart. It’s about likability.

Sure you need smart in your life. My mom always said surround yourself with people you can grow from. It’s true. But not specific to intelligence nor accompliment nor expertise levels. We grow on a number of levels and we all have unique experiences we can share with one another. If you think about it, everyone needs to grow, even the super smart. Maybe they need to learn to make rockin’ great garlic mashed potatoes. Or maybe they’ve never had the opportunity to blow bubbles in their milk or plant a tulip bulb or hold a ladybug. Who knows… no one has done everything but everyone can learn from someone else.

When’s the last time you took a nap or ate a s’more or skipped somewhere?

So for me, my worrying about contributing to a conversation, I think I’ll work on not worrying about it. I’ve got almost 38 years of experiences and information wadded up in this bedhead of mine – I’m sure someone out there wants to hear a piece of it. My passion in life is the happiness in it, it’s work to obtain or acknowledge sometimes, but that’s my focus.

Remind me of that from time to time so I can stop trying so hard.

They fart like the rest of us is a post from: 100 Directions