Month: October 2012

Wearing Confidence

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It’s Fall. And in my opinion, it’s the perfect season of all. With fall comes cooler temps, sweaters, boots, and cute scarves. With fall also comes pumpkins – scents, coffee, and the Great Pumpkin, Charley Brown. Pumpkins symbolize fall but also Halloween.

The buzz at the moment is costumes. What are you going to wear? Who are you going to be? I’ve seen it all this year from a wedding reception with a Halloween theme (costumed required) to outlandish costumes of our ever-present reality. I saw my beloved Honey Boo Boo child with her Mom, June, and her Dad, Sugar Bear. I saw “binders full of women”, angry birds, and things I really did not want to see (more appropriate for behind closed doors).

Apparently, one of the trends this year is the roaring 20’s.  I saw 5 flappers at one party alone.

When Goodwill did not deliver on a sequins and fringe dress, I settled on pieces in my closet with a touch of my own flair 🙂  Isn’t the point of Halloween to stand out? Be noticed for your originality?

I was half tempted to go as myself, honestly.  I have spent years hiding my true identity for fear that I would appear weird or different, and worst of all not liked or accepted.  But this is the year of the new me – a new year of loving myself and embracing self-confidence (whether liked or not).

I decided to wear my 20’s outfit. Of course, people could not figure out who or what I was, but in my mind I did not really care. For the first time, I knew exactly who I was and that was all that mattered to me.

So whether you go as yourself or Honey Boo Boo this year, remember this, wearing confidence never goes out of style. Who ever you choose to be, wear it proudly and start a new trend 🙂

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Fight Like a Girl

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The strength of a woman is not measured by the impact that all her hardships in life have had on her; but the strength of a woman is measured by the extent of her refusal to allow those hardships to dictate her and who she becomes. – C. JoyBell C.

The words “fight like a girl” take on a whole new meaning in the month of October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I don’t know the struggles first hand of walking through cancer, but I have witnessed it through some very dear friends and family members. And each October, I support the cause in hopes of finding a cure by participating in the Susan G. Komen – Race for the Cure.

My paternal grandmother and maternal great-grandmother both had a double mastecomy. So, I’ve always had the thought of cancer in the back of my mind, who wouldn’t? When my new OBGYN suggested that I get a mammogram since I have family history, I’d never imagine that there was a possibility of find something.

The fears that laid dormant for many years, suddenly came to life when I got a call from the doctor saying they need to do another screen.  I immediately called my sweet friend Kelly over at Praise You in the Storm in a panic.  She did her best to reassure me that there were many reasons for a call back, like the tissue was too dense to get a good read.

I also sought advice from my friend Mr. Web M.D. He said,

Potential abnormalities are found in 6% to 8% of women who have screening mammograms. This small group of women needs further evaluation that may include diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, or needle biopsy.

After the additional evaluation is complete, most of these women will be found to have nothing wrong.

It may come down to nothing wrong, and I pray that it does. It still hits very close to home as my health is very precious to me. After all that I have overcome in this life, I would hope that my health would not be something too. So, today I join in the fight to find a cure, but also to do everything in my power to prevent it.

I’m going to fight like a girl to…

  • make better food choices and exercise more
  • preserve relationships
  • remove toxic ones
  • enjoy the small things in life
  • choose joy

    Photo Credit: breastcanceralliancegraysharbor.com

    There is no guarantee in life after all, no matter how well you try to prevent bad things from happening. But I don’t have to let these setbacks and disappointments define me either.