FIND THE THINGS THAT FIT YOU
Hello there and happy Tuesday! I hope this week finds you carving your own magical path through life. I'm drinking Genmaicha Tea this morning and thinking about the freedom of stepping out of the box society wanted to put me in.
But first! I'm teaching a free class on Christmas Day at 9am! Space is limited, so click HERE to grab your spot.
I recently started watching the show Julia, and I cannot get enough! I'm so drawn to the story of how Julia Child got started on her career as The French Chef, and how she, as a fifty something woman, had to elbow her way into a man's world to become the delightful success she was.
In class last night, we explored the idea of stepping out of the box that someone else put us in and the freedom that comes with it. I remember the exhaustion and desperation of wanting so badly to fit into the box of "pretty young thin woman" because it seemed like it would please so many people. But at the end of the day, it didn't please me. It hurt me.
And then I realized that there was another way. Rather than trying to fit into a box that was never made for me in the first place, I have slowly been making my own, and filling it with all the things that make me, me! That includes embracing being big and soft, becoming a yoga teacher in my mid thirties, returning to comedy and performing in my forties, and embracing a decades long love affair with romance novels. I feel more like myself and more connected to my body than I ever have before. And so much of that has to do with letting go of what other people say I should want, and embracing what I do want.
This is why Julia Child's story resonates so much. If she had listened to the naysayers or the ass holes that dictated what a woman on tv should be, we never would have known her. She was a trailblazer and a glorious reminder that our lives aren't written by middle aged white men who seem to have a general disdain for women. We are the creators of our stories. Especially as we age and find more autonomy and freedom.
And if you are reading this and realizing that you are in fact in a box that someone else created, I invite you to step. No, wait! I invite you to KARATE CHOP your way out and then drop kick that box to the moon! You are a glorious and unique person and you deserve to create the life that fits you best.
So grab a cup of tea, sit down and write down all the things that make you feel happy and all the things you want to explore, be and do. This is (I hope!) a very fun homework assignment and a reminder that it's much more joyful to focus on all the wonders of who you are, rather than all the things you aren't.
Isn't it delightful to break the mold? Yes. Yes it is.
As always, I'd love to hear about it! Have you ever realized you were in a box that someone else had created? How are you stepping out and what things do you want to create for yourself? Let me know in the comments below.
As you move through this week, remember to treat yourself and your body with love, respect and kindness.
Much love,
Helen xo
