It always seems like a competition….
Who’s the best, who’s the most, who’s the tallest, who’s the smallest, who can make a million dollars in a day, and who can feed 20 people on $10 a night. Who stays home, who works, who cleans, and who doesn’t.
It doesn’t matter what you do, someone else thinks you’re wrong for doing it.
We’re full of judgment, even when we pretend not to be. It’s those whispers in our soul that poke our judgy thoughts, leftover memories of competitions where there aren’t any winners.
I grew up in a very judgmental family.
Like…y’all…if someone was behind us in the grocery store line, and there were more than 2 kids in the buggy, Mama would say, “she must not know what causes that….”
And if the person beside us was not perfectly pencil thin and put together like she walked off the runway, Mama would nudge me and say, “she needs to push herself away from the table and look in a mirror….”
It was common to hear words about my size, and the shape I became, designed by DNA and hormones, from my parents.
And just because I grew up and became adult-like didn’t mean the words stopped.
The words just stopped getting as much response.
I slathered on my thick skin and decided I didn’t want to compete any more when I looked around and realized the world was filled with judgment and that I had a choice.
I could change my thoughts and how I looked at others, or I could continue down the familiar path laid out before me, paved with hurt and sorrow.
So instead of tearing everyone down, I decided to see what would happen if I built them up. What would happen if the world was filled with compliments, good words, encouragement, and support.
It’s life changing, I tell ya.
You begin to look for ways to encourage others, to say nicer things, to go out of your way to build someone up, to make a difference in this crazy, chaotic, mixed up world we’re all in together.
Sure, there are still people out there that don’t deserve our kindness, and our extra effort, and those people are the ones I Bless & Release.
Literally y’all…you can see me in the Wal-Mart parking lot, closing my eyes, lifting my arms up and touching my fingertips together and Blessing and Releasing sometimes.
That’s as much for me as them, because I don’t really think they’re feeling it, but I need to know I tried. And they didn’t want the good, the kind, the joy, the laughter. So I have to let them go.
Because there are a whole lot of others out there in the world that do want to feel the power of joy and kindness, glitter and grace, and everything in between.
So I’m looking….
I want to see the kindness.
I want to see the love.
I want to see the fun.
I want to see the laughter.
I want to see the beauty.
I want to see all the glitter and grace.
I want to see the good.
Y’all, when I stumbled across these small candles in the dollar store yesterday on my way home (because sometimes you just need a few minutes at the dollar store to decompress…ya with me?), it was like karma flew over, zapped me on the head and said, “LOOK! Buy them ALLLLLLL”.
Karma needs to stay outta my wallet, but I was at the dollar store, so….
I want to see the good.
I want to build other women up and see them fly.
I want to give them the self confidence they need to conquer whatever it is that’s holding them back.
I want everyone to know they are beautiful in the skin they’re in and perfect just the way they are.
And I want them to smile every time they see that beauty in the mirror and know she’s in there….and can’t wait to shine.
Let's build EACH OTHER up....tell us about a woman in your world that you want to build up....tell us about her! Tell us how awesome she is! See the good!
Glitter & Grace,
Sasha
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