Blond… and Loving It! # 2... ;)

I found a writing which I believe I blogged on Feb. 2010 (or was it August 2010?), but then took it down due to the fact that I thought I might blush with embarrassment. Maybe the title should be, “Blond… and LOVING it – EXCEPT for when I’m just plain EMBARRASSED! :O” I am braver now and less inclined to care if you scoff at me, so have decided to put it back up.I like the ending. J I like positive conclusions to awkward life experiences and the ability we all have to enjoy life - Come what may AND LOVE IT!

Being Blond… and Loving It! # 2

I wrote a blog recently about a few of my “blond” moments. Honestly - I had so much fun writing about it that I decided to write a sequel.  (For those who haven't read the first one... there is some humor; you really should check it out. ;)

But first, perhaps I should satisfy your curiosity. You might be curious as to why I find my blond moments so amusing. OK – I’ll tell you. :D

When I was a kid - I had lots of kid brothers. And everyone knows what fun kid brothers have making fun of their kid sisters. I must have been extraordinarily fun to make fun of because my older kid sister also joined in on the “fun” of making fun of me. And since I have a tendency to be gullible and used to tend to assume when in disagreement with others that I must be the one who is wrong – I believed their awful teases.

For example, when I was a child I got a new doll and a hairbrush that came with the doll. I immediately began brushing my own hair with the baby doll’s brush. I had long hair and I loved how soft it felt as I stroked it. I remember running my fingers through my hair and feeling like my hands were in heaven. I loved my silky smooth hair!

But my happy moment came to a very traumatic end when my sister came along and in a very convincing state of acting began to panic as she said to me,

“Oh no! Is that a doll’s brush you are using on your hair?”

Startled, I jumped and pulled the brush from my hair,

“Yes. What’s wrong?”

I know what you're thinking… I know. I can only shake my head in disbelief, now.

My sister then continued to “act out” a state of panic and genuine worry for me. :)

“Oh! No! You can’t brush your hair with that! Now all of your hair will fall out!”

You may not have imagined my response, but you must remember how gullible I was. So naturally, I joined my sister with my own state of panic… only I wasn’t acting!

“No! No!” I began crying. “What do I do?”

Mind you, she was a year older (seemingly much older... of course), and I had it in my head that she was always right, and always honest; It never occurred to me that anyone would lie, especially about something like that! I believed every word she said. ~ The “fun” continued…

“You have to drink 4 or 5 cups of water, fast… or all of your hair will fall out!”

With tears streaming down my face and my heart racing, I ran to the kitchen, hastily measured out the water, and forced it all into my tiny little body (I was always the littlest one in my class, and a times could only eat one apple for lunch... years later... at the age of twelve).

I remember well, lying down on the floor of my bedroom in so much pain that I laid there wondering if I was going to die. I was in too much pain to get up or even to holler to tell anyone what I was going through, so I simply prayed to fall asleep. As I dozed off to sleep, I also prayed that I would wake up!

...All because I assumed that I must have been wrong to think it harmless, and my sister must be right; she was, after all... "older and wiser."  :o

I know. It’s a terrible story! I was so gullible! Needless to say, realizing that I was so gullible - not to mention "blond," contributed to my having a negative view of myself in one of the corners of my mind; I didn't feel very bright. For a number of years, part of me continued to cry out inside for that poor little girl so long ago, but I just laugh about it now.

Thankfully, as time went by I discovered that I’m not always the one who is wrong; I learned that I should trust my own common sense and not just believe whatever others tell me (and yet - I am still occasionally gullible! Ugh! ~ and definitely... still blond :). And I learned to replace gullibility for the words of men, with faith in the words of the Lord.

Another cool thing happened; I got married and my husband and I made a life and family of our own together. And the experiences I have had as a result of being in this wonderful new family (coupled with being a very child-like adult  :O) have completely changed how I see myself :D.

When I go places alone, I am perfectly aware of my surroundings. But when with others, I tend to socialize and fail to pay close attention to what is going on around me. If we go to the store or cross the street, Miles or Mindy are always there to make sure I don’t walk into a cart, or worse… a car (I really am exaggerating this just a little for the fun of it! ;). And when they “rescue” me, they always give me a gentle smile that says subtly,

“There she goes again!” without so much as a hint of criticism.

I can be such a dork, and they just love me. They still astound me. In fact, even Mindy (my daughter) says, as she shakes her head in disbelief…

“Mom, you are SO cute!”

The boys also give me similar looks of love and adoration; I love it! :D

I know. I know. I am such a kid! And Mindy is such a “mini mom.”

But regardless of the apparent switch of roles here and there between my daughter and I,... some might say SHE sounds like me, or that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” After all, when I was a toddler, I lovingly yet seriously shook my index finger at my dad as he left the house for work each morning and said to him,

“Now, lou be careful!”

My parents often referred to me as the little mother hen (I have an unfailing drive to want to take care of those who I love).

And though Mindy is also the “mother hen” who takes care of me and the rest of our family - when she is with her friend Nina, it is Nina who keeps Mindy from walking into oncoming traffic! ;) (The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.)

Another one of my "blond" habits is to think I am done talking before I am (I do this regularly). I say goodbye on the phone – only to call again afterwards. Or, if communicating by email etc., it is not uncommon for me to send at least 1-2 “extra” emails – to finish the thoughts that suddenly enter my mind after pushing the send button. If I am talking to someone in person – well, you can imagine that! :D And when I pray, even God gets His share of P.S.’s.

I have so many little quirks. My daughter tells me that quirks are what make people interesting. She has influenced me to look at my “quirks” including my “blond” ways with new eyes. She is influencing me to see myself as “interesting.” Therefore, I love my quirks; I love being blond! :)  (Thank you very much, Mindy! ;)

Do you see why I love being blond?

You may think it must be a nightmare to do so many embarrassing things. Well, I really don’t like being embarrassed, either! It isn't the embarrassing moments that I love – all these moments provide so many opportunities for my family to truly love me, in the face of it all!

Thanks to my family loving me during my "blond" moments, I am reminded that despite my weaknesses and failings, I am still loved.

None of us have to wait until we are “this” or “that” to love ourselves…

We don’t have to wait until we are “this” or “that” to be happy...

And these principles don't just apply to ourselves; they apply to other people, and to life, too.

Who says the world has to change before we can love living in it?

...or that someone else must change before we can love them?

I believe a key to being happy is finding reasons to be thankful for life – just as it is. And for being thankful for friends and family – just as they are – loving everyone just as they are… everyone – right down to ourselves.

And so I choose to love being a blond, because though I will always strive for improvement... I am finally learning to love all of myself, right now… just as I am.

To those of you who treat others like they are AWESOME: I want you to know ~ You are awesome...because you treat others like they are awesome. THANKS FOR BEING YOU!

Corine :D