The only thing that stays the same is change. And change is something all we need to do in order to get better at being more fabulous. Who doesn’t want that?
Tempered with some wisdom, this could be the best use of our waking hours and our peace of mind.
Need a Little Inspiration?
Got this great quote from a post written by Jesse Blayne on her blog.
God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it’s me.
Author Unknown
Brave is Beautiful
It is not easy to admit we need to work on our weaknesses, our flaws, our imperfections. How humbling is that? But don’t you think that the person who is honest and open about themselves is actually more appealing and someone you want to root for as they go about losing that weight or kicking a bad habit?
No one lives in a glass house so don’t be afraid to bare all. You know what I mean.
Wisdom is Wow!
Know yourself. Know what you need to do and just do it. You will inspire the rest of us.
Especially me. I need a little help from my friends to get through these winter wow-less days.
What are you doing?
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes for artful living, please check out:
You can’t have perfect hair when its sleeting outside.
Those two things just don’t coexist in the same universe. Neither do our playlists, Remy’s and mine. Well, maybe a song or two but that’s something we try not to mention too often.
Do you remember being absolutely embarrassed to death by your parents?
“Mom, puhleeeese stop the car now, NOW! I can walk the rest of the way -”
“But we haven’t even left yet.”
“MOMMMMM! Can you just drive away? Don’t turn around, don’t look at me, don’t act like you just made my lunch.”
“Oh, you’ll love the sandwich! It’s your favorite – “
SLAM!
Does this sound familiar to you? You probably know what a long crawl it is back to the edge of being barely acceptable. I keep forgetting how exhausting it is to plummet into sheer uselessness and to be someone to be endured until adolescence disappears.
Somehow, we gasped our way to twenty with Remy and it is a new era. We have conversations, we enjoy being around each other. Today he came with me to help out in my office. He had a big smile on his face and got along with everyone.
When Seth asked him how his day went, Remy grinned. ”It’s all good.”
Wow! I felt like, well, cool. Not mad cool or stupid cool or whatever they say that means really really cool.
I felt cool. Happy cool.
Here’s how you can be cool too
Feed the kid. Before we left, I made sure to get Remy a breakfast box from Boardwalk Bagel that had a toasted bagel, scrambled eggs, bacon and french fries. By the time we got to my office, he was happy and full.
Let him pick the the music. You may not like what your kid likes. You probably won’t. But you will score points simply by agreeing to listen.
Listen. Don’t be judgmental. Be an ear. A big smiling genuinely interested ear.
These tips will get you started on your journey to coolness, for many like me, a lifelong effort. If you feel you fall short of this lofty goal, don’t be discouraged. You may not be cool but you will be loved for trying.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes for artful living, please check out:
As David, Andrea’s husband, and his guys were working away in our kitchen.
As I was spinning from my third cup of coffee from one meeting to another like one of those crazy tops.
As the world moved endlessly from one end of the day to the other.
How do you comfort a friend, what words do you say?
This loss, the unquestionable finality of the moment, can be overwhelming no matter how prepared she believed she was for this day. When we did speak later in the day I was tripping over my words, “I’m so sorry, what can I – can I do something, anything – how can I be helpful, do you need are you OK?”
“Yes, can you do something for me?”
I jumped. ”What? Just tell me what you need?”
“Can you meet me for a run tomorrow morning?”
I hugged her through the phone.
“Every time we run, the day is always better.”
She’s right and I am so grateful I can be there for her.
I may not always know what to say or do but Andrea knows she can depend on me to be on the beach at 6:00 am to run from the dark morning moon into a sunrise together.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day
– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested
– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)
– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update
Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.
Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?
If you have a really old house like me, you probably live in a constant state of home improvement. Once you fix one thing, you end up fixing five other things. And don’t you hate having to pay more for stuff because you have to maintain the look and character of the house?
David, our friend and contractor who is working on our kitchen, is trying to teach us how a house is built. For Seth and me, this is like learning Norwegian.
Quotations are flashes of insight. The right one at the right time can open your eyes to new insights. Too many of them can make you see spots while fumbling around for your sunglasses.
I don’t know about you but this cold weather is making me cranky with blizzards bookending my first week back to work. I need all kinds of inspirational quotations and libations to get me going when the temperature is dropping.
My personal favorite source is Oscar Wilde, the sad eyed, debonair wit who gave us this gem:
If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.
Here are a few of my favorites this week:
I failed my way to success.
Thomas Edison
The more you say, the less people remember.
François Fénelon
If you don’t know where you are going,
you’ll end up someplace else. Yogi Berra
There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.
Logan Pearsall Smith
Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and good things will be yours.
Swedish Proverb
Proper words in proper places make the true definition of a style.
Jonathan Swift
The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
You can find more here at the World’s Strongest Librarian. I like reading this blog by Josh Hanagarne who has a simple philosophy of life: Don’t make anyone’s day worse.
Got any favorite quotations? I would love to share them.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
I write for love and money. It is my everyday passion. What's yours? 
