Changes

Okay, so lately I have been feeling a little hum-drum--in general.

The hairdo was not working anymore and the wardrobe is kinda drab...alright...very drab.  I have been ensconced in black and gray clothing for years now, and it is no longer the "cool, hip, urban" look it once was, just boring and blah. I looked like I had been styled by Frumpy...Dumpy... and...Schlumpy...the anti-fashion "dwarfs".  It was time for some changes.

So while I was out and about last week, perusing the local thrift shops and resale stores, I found a pretty pair of bright pink earrings. Very nice and really cheap. The perfect way, I thought, to ease back in to wearing bright colors a bit at a time.  Anyway, I get the earrings and wear them out of the store, but this story doesn't have a happy ending. I managed to lose them while shopping and trying on other clothing.  I did retrace my steps, but no one turned them in so it is my loss. However, because I loved the color so much, they did inspire me to keep adding colorful clothing and accessories back in to my wardrobe to update my style (it's funny, but I am not afraid to buy very colorful handbags for some reason.  In a previous post I mentioned a purple violet suede bag I scored at the outlet mall, and I have leather bags in red, pewter, green, and even yellow, but clothing is another story).

It is so easy to fall into the "black goes with anything" trap.  I used to wear lots of color--not clownish color--but bright cotton tops and colored denim, soft pattern prints and bold sweaters, but over the years I kept adding black "basics" to my wardrobe that eventually most of the color disappeared and the black took over. Plus I was probably just being lazy. Face it, you can go to the closet, pick out a black top, black pants, black cardi, and black flats and call it done...Garanimals for the blah and boring.  Time to embrace color, and there are many budget options as far as inexpensive summer tees and accessories, like H&M, Forever 21 and Old Navy, that I can pair with my dark (read--black) pants and leggings so I can feel brighter,and not blah, without making a huge investment.  Baby steps.

The other BIG change is that I decided to get a (much needed) haircut. I went short, shorty, short my friends. After growing out my hair for awhile, it was just so damaged on the ends and flat on top. I found myself twisting it up with a claw holder every day...ugh. When I washed my hair I was also just basically airdrying it most of the time instead of styling it. Longer hair takes a lot of work if you want it to look good...even if you are going for a casual, wavy, beachy look.  It requires scrunching, drying, curling, and several products to look "natural". Ugh, again. I no longer have the patience, or physical ability (I have rheumatoid arthritis and holding the brushes, irons, etc are getting difficult). So I go to visit my favorite hairstylist, my sister-in-law, and she gives me a cute, layered, SHORT bob. It is reminiscent of a 20s wavy look...it is kind of Gatsby-esque. Anyway I love it and it was great to get all that dead weight off my head. Since my hair texture is more coarse now, lots of factors for this, the layering really lends itself to airdrying and my natural wavy hair. I like the ease of just running my fingers through to fluff it up and using a bit of product here and there to hold the curl and I...am...out...the...door!  I plan on posting a couple of pics when I am all done up so you get the full effect. Check back next week.

Sometimes we just need to refresh ourselves. It might be a new hairstyle or a pair of earrings that do the trick. Sometimes we need a bigger change like changing our diet to lose weight or committing to an exercise program to regain strength and flexibility (I need this too). Sometimes it is in baby steps or maybe it's a big ol' jolt that moves us out of complacency.

Don't be afraid to take hold and move forward girlfriend...you'll l-o-v-e the new bounce in your step!