well i have my very own annie potts in my life. and her name is kelly.
you may have heard me talk about kelly before. she owns the jewelry/accessories shop around the corner from me (the crystal cage: check it out), and over the years we have become friends. i bring everyone i know to that store- and the ones with a little more disposable income (aka- my mom, aunt and sometimes sister) have bought numerous things from her over the years. i think at christmas i said "we're having a very kelly christmas this year!" because Everyone was getting a present from her store.
but honestly, kelly is so much more than the store. she is- amazing. she has lived this crazy life and done everything you could think of. she's owned a bar, dated a football player, been engaged to a record producer, survived cancer, got a quickie marriage (and divorce) in vegas, moved to LA for a brief stint, and now is happily married and living in the suburbs, running this great store on antique row. she is, as i said before...amazing. i usually go visit her at least once a week to try on all the new jewelry and drink wine (she Always has wine) and chat about life. and she never fails to cheer me up.
this year though we've grown closer. i feel like she's actually my friend. when i'm sad i can go there. and have wine. and listen to her tell me stories about her life and give me pep talk about mine. to make me feel young and in charge of my life she told me the story of her 30th birthday- which ended in her puking on the sidewalk on south street with the guy from jim's steaks offering her the outdoor hose to rinse out her mouth. and see? somehow she's happy and successful- so i can be too!! (she's currently 42, so it's not like this was yesterday). she is always telling me that i have so much time to be wild and make mistakes and have fun and then get it all right. she knows i'm not actually wild and don't like making mistakes, but she's encouraging anyway.
her most recent encouragement has been by way of the vision board. in case you have no idea what i am talking about i will explain:
a vision board is a board (can be a poster board or cork board or mirror or anything that you can tack/tape things to) filled with things you want in your life. pictures, words, metaphors- it doesn't matter. whatever you want in life, short term, long term, as long a you really want it- goes on the vision board. you can add to it as you see fit, but you have to keep it around somewhere where you'll see it on a regular basis. and the idea is that you create this board of things that you want in your life and you look at it on a daily basis and imagine yourself having/getting those things. they can be material or relational or spiritual or whatever. for example, kelly used to have a the specific car she wanted (a blue jeep wrangler) on her first vision board- and eventually she got it and rode it all over the place for years. she also had santorini on there...she went for her 40th birthday. she had a $1200 gucci bag, and recently found it on sale for $400 ("the universe put it on sale"). she also has the house in the woods she's always wanted, and a picture of the pet turtle she wants to get once she's in the house.
this is the beauty of the vision board. you can be as specific as you want- and it's just for you! no one else has to see it! so there's no one to judge.
kelly and i were talking one day a few weeks ago about how crazy i've been feeling and how i fear i won't ever figure out the bigger picture of my life. and she said "honey, you've got loads of time...but you need to make a vision board!! put it out there to the universe what you want- and it will provide! but you've gotta ask! you've gotta want it and be positive and know that you're gonna get everything you've ever wanted!". apparently kelly has gotten everything she put on her first vision board, and quite a few things from her current one. and she looks at it everyday while she's on the treadmill.
this has been a common theme for me lately: ask and the universe will provide. you know how much i love talking to the universe. what started as a last ditch effort has now become a hobby. talking to the ether about what i'm doing with my life and how i want to better it- it's oddly comforting. and that's the whole thing behind the vision board. you figure out what you want in life- and you put it out there that you want it. and then you go about figuring out how to get it. (and you hope the universe is feeling generous).
kelly felt so strongly about me making a vision board she TOOK A MIRROR OFF THE WALL OF HER STORE and handed it to me to use. she likes using mirrors because that way you can put stuff on it and then leave a space in the middle to see yourself surrounded by all the things you want. and you have to stay positive, of course- something that is challenging for me sometimes. but it's something i've really been working on.
so- when your very own annie potts takes a mirror off of her store wall for you to create your very own vision board- you have you fucking do it. because how many people do that for you? believe in you and encourage you and let you drink a bottomless glass of wine while trying on jewelry they know you won't be buying. it's like the universe put her around the corner from me so that we could find each other. (i have brought her a lot of business, after all).
here is a glimpse of my vision board. its a mirror-(so the middle part is a reflection of my living room)- but if you can see it you'll see there are a lot of random things on there. material (a diane von furstenberg wrap dress), travel destinations (egypt, manchu pichu- to start the ball rolling- more will be added shortly), and metaphorical- the yellow kitchen up in the corner stands for the house i someday want to own (with a porch and a library and a kitchen that will have yellow accents). and there are some other things on there i'm not explaining at the moment. but i'm doing it! putting out to the world what i want, so i can start figuring out and envisioning myself having these things.
and it works! i've already gotten two things on the vision board: 1. a pair of wellies that fit my fat calves :
HOWEVER, this weekend i purchased my very first bikini. it's the prettiest shade of blue and i actually think it looks pretty good. i might even wear it this summer (still working on the confidence part, but there is a decent chance). i think it's because of the vision board that i even challenged myself to actually try on a bikini, much less find one i like and buy one. you might say the universe put the perfect bikini in my path!
so- while i am relatively new to the whole positivity/universe giving back/vision board mumbo jumbo- i am a believer in trying new things to make yourself happy. and i think this is worth a go.
i'll also have you know that kelly made me Bring my vision board into the shop for her to see last weekend- so she could check on my progress. annie potts apparently gives homework! she wants to make sure her advice isn't going on deaf ears! and i'm happy to say she was pleased with what i've done thus far. i'll keep adding to it and looking at it and try to put positive vibes out into the universe and see where it gets me.
if you are lucky enough to have your very own annie potts in your life, as i am, listen to them. they have lived. they have things to teach you. they can make you laugh and keep you from crying and make you feel so thankful for your life. hallelujah to that.
No comments:
Post a Comment