Life Lessons...How To Be Alone

How To Be Alone
by Susanna Sonnenberg

In 1984 I was 19 and on any given day roamed from dorm room to cafeteria to classroom, then on to dance class or movie theater or Chinese restaurant.  Always with friends, always out with everyone I knew.  We hurried to meet up at coffeehouses or gathered outside the library, bound by lethargy.  Of course, we had no cell phones then, but our society was strung tight by perpetual interaction, presence, plans.  We went for groceries together and to the bank machine.  Everything happened outside my head.  There was no such thing as the interior life.  I needed my friends for the noise and motion, to be entertained, to be watched.  Partly this was the teenager's way of life sophomore year, but I'm sure some college kids liked isolation and privacy - just not me.  Solitude looked gloomy to me, held no uses.  I read better when my roommate was reading across the room on her bed.  I endured the subway ride after starting a conversation with the neighboring stranger.  Even falling asleep, for those of us who had boyfriends, was social.


Did I notice, after I got my first apartment, that a certain crucial thrill came from finding everything just as I'd left it when I opened the refrigerator door?  I must have, and stored the memory away.  But it wasn't until I had a baby that solitude looked interesting, became an elusive commodity. Now with the baby, I couldn't choose my state of being anymore:  Accompanied, by myself, quiet, festive - nothing was up to me.  Now instead of finding time to fill as I would  (a chance to make phone calls, to meet my husband for lunch, a chance to fill up with other people), I was with my baby, the glue of his saliva dampening the front of my shirt, his tendril limbs wrapped around my body, and his thick, soft fingers in my mouth when I opened it to say something.


For work I was reviewing movies, and all of a sudden this was the greatest job in the world because it gave me a chance to undo myself from the baby and go.  Alone.  There in the car at the stoplight, there in the line to buy a ticket, and in the brief, crackling dark before previews, I felt quiet and wonderful, there was a pause and a peace.  And when the movie was over, I returned to my family, renewed and ready.  


I like to be alone now.  I like to taste the honey on the toast, to consider the bee batting against the window. In solitude I come together, collect the errant bits of me that have wandered away, and reassemble them .  Solitude is so fiercely that:  the chance to still oneself.  From its sacred corner I look out, see the wide world, and feel my singular place in it.

repost from American Elle: "The Most Important Thing I've Learned"

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Pretty Things Fashion...Cirque 21

Forever 21 never seems to disappoint when it comes to fun, funky {and knock off} fashion on the cheap...and that's why we love them.

Amongst all the other new lines they have going, they have introduced Twist, a new series of monthly capsule collections inspired by themes and all things vaguely termed "Young Hollywood."

For example, the circus-themed debut range appears to be loosely based on Britney Spears's latest tour "Circus", with ringmaster jackets and bustier tops (but trading the PVC hot pants for G-rated tulle petticoats).

But, act quickly if you want any of this sweet Cirque 21 collection cuz each collection lasts only four weeks and then it will disappear forever, allowing room for 45-55 new pieces to debut around a different theme.

What FUN!

March Focus: Connection

Connection

Connection is our number one human need. All the actions or non-actions we take in the world are related to this desire. When we complain, make excuses and blame, we are using fear as our vehicle for connection. When we refuse to connect our head and heart, thoughts and feelings, we have little room for compassion, understanding and expression.

When we are willing to seek connection, we are able to reach out, ask for help and receive affirmation of our oneness with the world. When we are willing to embrace our desire for connection, we become willing to look within and see the barriers that stand in our way. When we connect with another, we find ourselves.

excerpt by Rhonda Britten, Fearless Year E-Book

Chain Blog: I am...

This is a chain blog.
I know, I know...we just hate any sort of chains! ...But, you have to admit that some of them contain great stories, tear jerkers even...Inspirations and Life Lessons that someone thinks you might enjoy and wants you to share with others. Hence my reasoning for starting what I know to be the very first chain blog. :)

"I am..." was first posted by Jen of "A Girl & Her Polaroid", but I found it through JLC Studio.

Here's what you do...
1} Post this same "I am..." inspiration on your blog for all the other Pretties in the world to see.
2} Mention and link to anyone who has blogged about it before such as I have above.
3} Then, read this inspiration to yourself every single day...cuz, really Girl, you ARE ALL of these things, especially if you look beyond the material things in life.

You never know...That one person who discovers this on your blog just might be having the worst day of her life...and you could turn it all around for her. So, Share...and SMILE... This is ALL ABOUT YOU!

I am...