JDW

It's really quite simple- find what it is that makes you happy and who it is that makes you happy... and you're set. Promise.

“ That’s who you really like. The people you can think out loud in front of.


— John Gree

Santa came through early this year! 24/12/11- best Christmas Eve to date!

Just a bit of girly advice.

For in case I am ever blessed with daughters, I have started this list. (yes, I will be a mum with a list)

- Whole grains and fresh fruit are good choices. but a cupcake is worth every calorie.

-If you're asking yourself if you should have another drink, the answer is probably 'no'

- Never shake someone's hand sitting down. Your grandad always told me this, and since he is wise, you should listen.

-A woman is 'pregnant' not 'preggers'.

-Your sexuality is not a bargaining chip in the negotiation of life. Dont trade on it, it is something specifically and only yours to explore and enjoy with someone you love. If you treat it as anything less, youre just gambling away your shot at true intimacy in pursuit of a false sense of worth.

-Champagne is for sipping. Trust me.

-Sometimes you just have to cry it out. Crying can be therapeutic, it's a girl thing. Just don't do it at work.

-Always treat people well. What goes around, comes around.

-Return your shopping trolley. An abandoned trolly in the middle of a car park implies a sense of entitlement. Someone has to put it away, and that someone should be you.

-Leggings are not pants.

-Not everyone is going to like you and thats just fine.

- Be generous. with your time, your money, your heart. If there was a single lesson I could hope on my best day to impart to you, this would be it.

more to come...

6yroldwisdom

T- "I don't like men with tattoos on their faces, they scare me"

B- "Good, go with that. You don't marry those men"

T- "I know, I doubt I would ever kiss one"

mouths of babes

There is beauty...

There is beauty in the challenges, the hard decisions, the life transitions. Seasons that feel like they swallow you whole and spit out your bones. In your choices that alter your thoughts, and the choices others make which alter your heart, there is beauty. When you're overwhelmed because you don't have all the pretty answers. During the times where no path feels right, where you fall flat on your face and the times where you don't know what to do next. There is beauty.

These are the times that stretch us to become greater than we ever imagined ourselves to be. These are the times that cracked us wide opened and enabled us to rise to the next level. These are the times that make us. Make us see that the world isn't black and white. These are the pivotal moments where it is up to us to stay stuck or dive in. To choose to wear your heart on your sleeve and gamble on someone, because if it works out... well, it would change your life. Choose to step out, to leap, to dive in. Perhaps this very instant is our time.

//// I think it's time for a few canon balls, friends! Let's dive together////

On the stage they stand, like statues waiting for the world to end.

The crowd walks in and sees the make up, and thinks it's make up.

They see the tricks, and think they're tricks.

They see a shot ring out from what they think is a toy gun and someone dies, again.

And as I leave, one of them presses a note into my hand.

"It's not pretend. It's all real. Please help me."

I've read it.

It's perfectly ok...

...to shove it in your closet and consider your place cleaned.

....to take every single personal day, holiday and sick day that you are entitled to

.....to discover all your new music courtesy of "The Hills"

...to secretly hope that your exes consider you the one that got away

......to find the word "panties" totally creepy

....to consider riding a swing a form of cardio

...to correct people who mispronounce your name.

...to push your sunglasses up on your head and consider it a hairstyle

...to act all "candid" when someone pulls out a camera

....to think the fireworks were a wee bit excessive. How many small countries could that feed?

...to ask for chicken on your vegie burger

...to not change out of your pajamas

...and its ok to be ok with the things that are ok. Life is what it is and its too short to not be the real you.

JD: "Britt, what are you eating"
B: "Almonds, good for you"
JD: "Would those almonds have a coating of chocolate?"
B: "Totally beside the point"

This time baby, I'll be bulletproof...

"lets go to DC and hold hands publicly"

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

-ralph waldo emerson.

The oldest search in human history is for a place to be.

Dear Santa....

No presents this year... just this feeling please!

Yes, I wore everything at once!!

Now and then I think of when we were together

Like when you said you felt so happy you could die

Told myself that you were right for me

But felt so lonely in your company

But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

"Nothing in the world is permanent, and we’re foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we’re still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it."
-W. Somerset Maugham

Cherish...

take time to enjoy the littlest of moments with friends. even if we only have time every now & then for a twenty minute coffee date.
i need to slow down. take it one step at a time & cherish every single moment.

10 things I learnt this week.

1. Nice heels make my legs look better, but cute flats will always have my heart.

2. Sometimes writing can be a frustrating process.

3. Sometimes men who appear all tuff and strong are just soft and insecure as the rest of us.

4. Some people will stand in insanely long lines, for hours, to buy cute clothes on sale. I cant, I just dont have it in me.

5. It's totally ok to spend the whole day in bed.

6. I need to realise that some people dont open themselves up as easily as some.

7. I am scared to fall in love again. Well not the love, but the heart ache.

8. Doing excersises at home can be just as good as going to the gym. Who knew!?

9. I crave real, deep, authentic relationships. They are hard to come by!

10. I am often capable of way more than I give myself credit for.

"When we were five, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, fireman, or in my case, a princess. When we were ten, they asked again. We answered rock star, cowboy, or in my case, teacher.

But now that we’ve grown up, they want a serious answer. Well, how about this: Who the hell knows? This isn’t the time to make hard and fast decisions, this is the time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love… a lot. Major in philosophy, cause there’s no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind and change it again, because nothing’s permanent. So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be, we won’t have to guess. We’ll know."

“Every experience in life, everything with which we have come in contact in life, is a chisel which has been cutting away at our life statue, molding, modifying, shaping it. We are part of all we have met. Everything we have seen, heard, felt, or thought has had its hand in molding us, shaping us."

-Orison Swett Marden

Just a thought.

Here is my theory on men and women. When a man meets a woman he decides within around thirty seconds whether or not he finds her attractive. If he doesn't, they become friends. If he does, they might become friends, but the potential for them to become lovers never quite goes away.

When a woman meets a man she decides within around thirty seconds whether or not she finds him attractive. Even if she doesn't, they become friends, but at any given point in their relationship, she could fall in love with him. She could fall in love with him because he's kind, sensitive and he makes her laugh. Because she grows up and realises that sexual attraction is not the be all and end all to life. She realises that all guys aren't jerks. That all guys aren't boring. And finally, that she deserves a nice guy.

On this day...

On this day, you read something that moved you and made you realise there were no more fears to fear. No tears to cry. No head to hang in shame. That every time you thought you’d offended someone, it was all just in your head and really, they love you with all their heart and nothing will ever change that. That everyone and everything lives on inside you. That that doesn’t make any of it any less real.

That soft touches will change you and stay with you longer than hard ones.

That being alone means you’re free. That old lovers miss you and new lovers want you and the one you’re with is the one you’re meant to be with. That the tingles running down your arms are angel feathers and they whisper in your ear, constantly, if you choose to hear them. That everything you want to happen, will happen, if you decide you want it enough. That every time you think a sad thought, you can think a happy one instead.

That you control that completely.

That the people who make you laugh are more beautiful than beautiful people. That you laugh more than you cry. That crying is good for you. That the people you hate wish you would stop and you do too.

That your friends are reflections of the best parts of you. That you are more than the sum total of the things you know and how you react to them. That dancing is sometimes more important than listening to the music.

That the most embarrassing, awkward moments of your life are only remembered by you and no one else. That no one judges you when you walk into a room and all they really want to know, is if you’re judging them. That what you make and what you do with your time is more important than you’ll ever fathom and should be treated as such. That the difference between a job and art is passion. That neither defines who you are. That talking to strangers is how you make friends.

That bad days end but a smile can go around the world. That life contradicts itself, constantly. That that’s why it’s worth living.

That the difference between pain and love is time. That love is only as real as you want it to be. That if you feel good, you look good but it doesn’t always work the other way around.

That the sun will rise each day and it’s up to you each day if you match it. That nothing matters up until this point. That what you decide now, in this moment, will change the future. Forever. That rain is beautiful.

And so are you.

Happy Weekend!

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius

and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous

than absolutely boring." - Marilyn Monroe

you is kind. you is smart. you is important. -the help.

My goal in life!

As we hold our heavy hearts

I was a little girl who spent her time searching for rolly pollies in the front yard... I always wore dresses... and had long curly hair.. .My daddy was my hero and Astro-Boy was my best-friend.

Nothing has really changed, except the rolly pollies are harder to find and my hair isnt always curly.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

The scratches that made me.

You buy things and you keep them clean. You take care of them. Keep them in a special pocket. Away from keys and coins. Away from other things that should be kept clean and taken care of as well. Then they get scratched. And scratched again. And again. And again. And again. Soon, you don't care about them anymore. You don't keep them in a special pocket. You throw them in the bag with everything else. They've surpassed their form and become nothing but function. People are like that. You meet them and keep them clean. In a special pocket. And then you start to scratch them. Not on purpose. Sometimes you just drop them by accident or forget which pocket they're in. But after the first scratch, it's all downhill from there. You see past their form. They become function. They are a purpose. Only their essence remains.

Friends...

I was thinking about it this morning and I realised that…I think friends are like mascara. There are some that open your eyes. Some that run when you cry. Some that you cant open, no matter how hard to try. Some that clump up but you cant manage to throw them away and they sit in your bottom draw. And no matter what, you always end up back at that trusty brand that your mother told you was reliable from the very beginning. We all need people.. we just need to find the brand that brings out your best features.. xo

It's ok...

...to insist they use a coaster.

...to think that every jar of super chunky peanut butter should come with a spoon.

...to be that special kind of uptight that makes you pause the present-opening to smooth out and fold the wrapping paper for future reuse.

...to start eating your takeaway the second you walk out the restaurant.

...to start your to-do list with a task you've already done.

...to find shopping for bed sheets just as exciting as shopping for shoes.

...to firmly believe that if you share it, it has no calories.

..to demand to be taken off speakerphone

...to smirk when you see the big, tough guys at your gym tripping on the elliptical machine.

10 things I learnt this week.

1. I like to eat standing.
2. GHD's are way better than other flat irons.
3. Carbs are essential to a good life.
4. Travelling is good for the soul.
5. Travelling with a good friend is even better.
6. An afternoon nap can save the day.
7. A positive attitude brings positive things to you.
8. M.A.S.H is still a good TV show.
9. I'm definitely a winter girl. For me, there is something inspiring and soul searching about cold, gloomy, rainy weather.
10. When you are truly, freely unashamed to be yourself, you give permission for others to be who they are. Let your freak flag fly people!

Vivian: "You're late"

Edward Lewis: "You're stunning"

Vivian: "You're forgiven"

Unless you've been living under a rock since the early 90's, you've probably seen Pretty Woman a few times and love it... and what's not to love? It's the classic Cinderella story (well, if Cinderella had briefly turned to street walking)- There is a rich man, a gorgeous girl who is a little down on her luck- they meet, she gets a makeover, they fall madly in love and then go onto live happily ever after. *sigh*

I repeat these words to myself often. I know this passage by heart.
Don't become hard. Heal fully. Live openly. Love fully. x