This was supposed to be a blog post of celebration and triumph. Instead it has turned into a major lesson for me. Yeah, that’s right. Even though I’m older I can learn things, though you might disagree if you saw my attempts to do the whole “Whip/Nae Nae” dance move thing.
But I digress. A few years ago, my husband and I took a day trip to Galena, Illinois. Galena is a pretty river town with fun restaurants and cute shops. We entered one of the shops. The woman inside sold scarves, among other things. I took some time to check them out. While looking, she came up to me and said, “Did you know you can turn a scarf into a vest?”
WHAT?! Get out of here....
Then she showed me how to do it. It was fast and oh-so-easy to do. And I’d never seen it done before, like EVER. I was also pretty sure no one else had seen it, too.
When I went back home, I hopped onto YouTube and confirmed my suspicions. There were no “turn a scarf into a vest” videos out there. So I decided, as a way to thank all those fashion followers who’ve made my “What Color Season are You?” post so popular, I’d make a video and show them this new trick. Then I went upstairs, walked into my bathroom, set the bag with my newly purchased scarf off to the side of my sink counter, and looked into the mirror.
I was not camera ready. Not hardly. Over the years I had gained a few pounds. Like 30. I wouldn’t have called myself fat, though a small child certainly could have used my butt as a flotation device if we’d been lost at sea together. Plus wrinkles had started to form. I wasn’t getting any younger, that was for sure. And that made me sad. And camera shy.
No, I didn’t dwell on it. I wasn’t angsty, walking around with the back of my hand to my forehead, fretting about how I wasn’t as young and thin as I used to be. But that thought did stick in the back of my mind, resurfacing now and then, like when I’d dress up to go out and do something special -- when I wanted to look my very best, and my “very best” wasn’t as good as it once was.
But I digress. A few years ago, my husband and I took a day trip to Galena, Illinois. Galena is a pretty river town with fun restaurants and cute shops. We entered one of the shops. The woman inside sold scarves, among other things. I took some time to check them out. While looking, she came up to me and said, “Did you know you can turn a scarf into a vest?”
WHAT?! Get out of here....
Then she showed me how to do it. It was fast and oh-so-easy to do. And I’d never seen it done before, like EVER. I was also pretty sure no one else had seen it, too.
When I went back home, I hopped onto YouTube and confirmed my suspicions. There were no “turn a scarf into a vest” videos out there. So I decided, as a way to thank all those fashion followers who’ve made my “What Color Season are You?” post so popular, I’d make a video and show them this new trick. Then I went upstairs, walked into my bathroom, set the bag with my newly purchased scarf off to the side of my sink counter, and looked into the mirror.
I was not camera ready. Not hardly. Over the years I had gained a few pounds. Like 30. I wouldn’t have called myself fat, though a small child certainly could have used my butt as a flotation device if we’d been lost at sea together. Plus wrinkles had started to form. I wasn’t getting any younger, that was for sure. And that made me sad. And camera shy.
No, I didn’t dwell on it. I wasn’t angsty, walking around with the back of my hand to my forehead, fretting about how I wasn’t as young and thin as I used to be. But that thought did stick in the back of my mind, resurfacing now and then, like when I’d dress up to go out and do something special -- when I wanted to look my very best, and my “very best” wasn’t as good as it once was.
the bag of sad realization For close to three years, that scarf-filled bag sat near my sink, serving as a symbol of all the things I didn’t like about physical myself. Then, inspired by a trip I was to take with my husband, I lost some weight and felt pretty darn good about myself. Was I as thin as I was in my twenties? Nope. Was I as pretty? Nope. But, I realized I didn’t care. I had to stop looking back. I had to look forward and be grateful for what I had now.
I was going to make that dang video.
And I did. I shot it yesterday and, frankly, it took me awhile to do. Don’t even ask me how many retakes I had to do. But I did it, and now it’s up on YouTube…
…with about three million other “make a scarf into a vest” videos.
Yep. I’d blown it. After waiting so long, my new trick wasn’t quite so new anymore. So much for teaching my fashion followers something cool. All I can do now is share what I learned yesterday:
If you’re waiting for perfect conditions – for your perfect self – before you strike out and do that cool thing you want to do, DON’T. DO IT NOW. Otherwise, you might discover that by the time you’re ready, that opportunity has long since gone. And that will suck.
Since I spent so much time making the video, I decided to post it anyway. You can see it below. I mean, who knows? Maybe the scarf-to-vest trick is still new to you. If not, you can at least see what I look and sound like and get a chuckle out of that. If neither interests you, that’s fine, too. Just promise me you won’t waste your life waiting for perfection before you set out and do what you want to do.
I was going to make that dang video.
And I did. I shot it yesterday and, frankly, it took me awhile to do. Don’t even ask me how many retakes I had to do. But I did it, and now it’s up on YouTube…
…with about three million other “make a scarf into a vest” videos.
Yep. I’d blown it. After waiting so long, my new trick wasn’t quite so new anymore. So much for teaching my fashion followers something cool. All I can do now is share what I learned yesterday:
If you’re waiting for perfect conditions – for your perfect self – before you strike out and do that cool thing you want to do, DON’T. DO IT NOW. Otherwise, you might discover that by the time you’re ready, that opportunity has long since gone. And that will suck.
Since I spent so much time making the video, I decided to post it anyway. You can see it below. I mean, who knows? Maybe the scarf-to-vest trick is still new to you. If not, you can at least see what I look and sound like and get a chuckle out of that. If neither interests you, that’s fine, too. Just promise me you won’t waste your life waiting for perfection before you set out and do what you want to do.
And have a HAPPY NEW YEAR, too!
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