What Color Nail Polish Will You Wear?

It's the day after Thanksgiving; some people have been up since the crack of dawn this morning to stand in line for that 'special' gift, while others like myself are home and enjoying nothing more than the peace and quiet. I will most likely head out for a few errands later today; after most of the mobs have gone home feeling exhausted (at least that's my hope).

Around this time of year I feel like I should write something very profound; something about the things I am thankful for, about getting in the holiday spirit, and planning to spend quality time with family and friends. But the only real epiphany I have is about the color of nail polish I chose to wear yesterday. Crazy, right? That's the best I can come up with? Apparently, lol.

On Wednesday my family and I were outside getting rid of the fall mums and the last of the pumpkins and putting up the outdoor lights on the house. Doing that I knew my hands would get beat up, so I decided to pamper myself yesterday and paint my nails before heading out to visit family for Thanksgiving.

I looked in my box where I store my nail polishes and had a monumental decision to make ... what color should I wear? Of course I have about 8 bottles of varying shades of pink (my stand by), a couple of summery beachy colors, and a couple that are a bit more bold. What was my mood? Was I feeling cautious or daring? Like an extrovert or an introvert? Why was the shade of polish I would choose so important? Would anyone even notice? Would it even matter? Apparently so; at least it mattered to me.

In the late 70s when I was a teenager there was a phenomenon called 'mood rings'. They were all the rage and if you wore one you were thought to be extremely hip and cool. Of course I had one, lol (or maybe two). The idea behind the mood ring was simple, wear it on your finger and it would reflect the state of your emotions. People would know HOW you were feeling by the color of your ring. It took all the guess work out of it; you didn't have to tell anyone if you were happy or sad - they would just know. Today, nail polish colors kind of work the same way. You can choose something subdued or bright and bold, something relaxing or something with high energy. I used to think if I was beyond a certain age or a parent or even a grandparent, I should wear something conservative or responsible or a color that wouldn't get noticed. Wow, how times have changed. I may be 55 years old, a wife, a mother of two adult children, and have two precious granddaughters ... but I like color. The past year or so I've given myself permission to wear what I want, when I want. This Thanksgiving's color of choice? A metallic coppery-brown; which ironically kind of matches the color of my husband's Durango. Not sure what that means, other than he likes the color of his vehicle and I liked the color for my nails.

So is there anything profound to be read in this blog post? I'm not sure, other than giving yourself permission to share the side of you that you are presently feeling. Whether people notice or not is on them, not you.

And if you're a guy reading this post and you're thinking, 'Nail polish colors? Seriously?' Just remember ... no one can rock out the black polish better than Steven Tyler or Ozzy Osbourne.

What's been your 'go to' color of choice lately? What do you think it says about you?

If We Could Only Skip The Drama

Drama is a funny thing; it has the ability to take on a life of its own and run rampant like a snowball building momentum down a mountainside. Drama is fine, at times, as long as it's part of a Hallmark Channel mystery movie; but not when it gets in the way of things we love.

Last week I was having lunch with my husband at a regular local spot and chatting with a waitress we've known for years. She'd always had a great personality and been efficient; probably why we would ask to sit in her section. We were surprised to hear that after nine years she was leaving and taking a new job at another restaurant. She said she loved being a waitress; she liked her job and liked talking with the customers. She took pride in her work. Management had changed and there was beginning to be too much drama; so much so that she was becoming stressed and unhappy. 

Most of us have had times in our lives when we were with someone or doing something (a career, volunteer work, or a hobby) that we felt passionate about; those times when we felt good about getting up in the morning and looked forward to what our day had in store for us. But when 'drama' gets in the way, it isn't healthy. Our light becomes dim and our excitement about what's to come lessens. Our motivation to make a difference can easily lose its strength.

I suppose the first step to taking care of ourselves is to be aware when something is interfering with our passions, our health, and our spirit. Doing things we are good at and contribute to making us happy and feeling whole is something we have to take ownership of. It belongs to us and no one else. What we choose to do with our passions, our gifts, and our talents is completely up to us. When drama threatens to get in the way, we need to make a choice. That's what our waitress, Stephanie, did. She saw the stress start to affect her life and didn't like what she saw. She made the tough decision to leave co-workers and customers she liked and chose to allow herself to become whole again and start fresh. Kudos to Stephanie for taking the horse by the reins and getting back on the path that makes her happy. I wish her luck and will be sure to look for her at her new location.

Today's world can be stressful enough with all of the things that we cannot control. But our own destiny ... that is something we need to hold on to with both hands. God has a plan for each us; we don't always know what it is in the time frame we would like, but God has it taken care of. He will give us the strength we need when we need it. We will get where we need to be and accomplish what we are meant to accomplish. We just need to be patient (I can admit, that's never been one of my strong suits, lol).

When was the last time drama got in the way of you doing something you love?

Was the drama yours or someone else's?

How did you get past it?