Pick A Pair of Peppy, Playful, Pink & Purple Patent Pumps

When traveling, I sometimes acquire a unique souvenir from the trip. For example, I purchased these peppy pink and purple patent slingbacks on a trip to the Ukraine in May of 2009. These shoes represent more than just a memento from a great trip, though. I almost did not splurge on such a whimsical item until the friend I was visiting there encouraged me to be spontaneous and just have fun.



Now, whenever I wear these shoes, I feel inspired to make more whimsical choices in my daily life.  Sometimes this choice may be out of character for me, transcending material items and including ways of thinking, relating, communicating, and acting. With the daily routines of life, such as working, paying bills, and running errands, it may feel challenging to step outside those routines and approach something in a different way. Yet, this uncharacteristic behavior often rewards us with a new perspective and child-like attitude toward life, which also brings more joy and happiness.

Even more, these shoes pay tribute to the spirit of a good friend. We can all be open to the encouragement and support of good friends, while also encouraging others to take a leap of faith into the unknown. A few words of encouragement can make all the difference in the life of those you love, and even a stranger.  Early August marks the anniversary of my friend's untimely and unfortunate passing. Our lifetimes are precious and short, yet the way we show up for ourselves and others bestows a lifetime of memories. In so many ways she dared me to live more fully, and my pink patent shoes serve as a reminder.

May you all feel encouraged to choose your own pair of pink patent shoes, be spontaneous, and have fun!

If Curious George Went to Pittsburgh...

If you are in Manhattan this summer before August 1, I highly recommend the Curious George exhibit at the Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side [ http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/curiousgeorge ]. This playful monkey with his curious sense of adventure graced many of my childhood bedtime stories. If this curious attitude were invoked in our adult activities, would the playful spirit inspire adventures for us, too?




I recently attended a work-related conference in Pittsburgh. Whenever I mentioned the upcoming trip, people had a chilly reaction to my warm enthusiasm over visiting Steel City. I had no idea what Pittsburgh had to offer, but I was excited to find out. In short, the 'Burgh has much to offer visitors:

• Arts and culture with various museums [Carnegie, Andy Warhol] and numerous theatres for plays, symphonies, and concerts? check;

• A foodie mecca with fabulous, ethnically diverse [and inexpensive] eateries and markets? check;

• A green, clean, and bike- and pedestrian- friendly city with over 20 miles of beautifully groomed riverside trails [and part of a 318-mile trail from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh[ www.atatrail.org ]? check;

• Major league sports teams? check;

• Cool architecture, history, innovation [coal, steel, glass], philanthropists [Carnegie, Frick], and origin of some pretty nifty products [Heinz 57 and Klondike bars]? check;

• A gazillion bridges over the three rivers [Ohio, Monongahela, & Allegheny], and picturesque views from a neighborhood atop Mount Washington, which is accessible by an incline train? check!

With an open mind, curiosity and exploration will reward you with some great memories and adventures.  Admittedly, curiosity comes more naturally when traveling to foreign places where we can easily explore a different culture, landscape, history, language, and food.  Yet, even the next town over has a unique history, colloquialisms, traditions, and natural landscape if you search for it.

On a deeper level do we allow ourselves to be curious in our daily lives, too?  Too often in life, when new opportunities arise, people instinctively or reactively say "No!" without any further consideration. What if we thought more deeply about why we immediately foreclosed the invitation? When we say "no," it could be based upon a past experience or information from others, rather than considering what is possible for us in the present.  Alternatively, we could accept Joseph Campbell's invitation and say a "hearty yes" to the adventure story of our life.  Endless adventures await and could unfold with a simple "yes" and a curious attitude. A big yellow hat may help, too!  Happy exploring!

[Photos by Nicole D. Mignone]

Are We Growing or Shrinking Into Our Future?

During a recent shopping trip, I overheard a conversation between a mother and her young daughter about a new outfit the little girl wanted. The little girl could barely contain her excitement over the new "big girl" pants she could grow into. The mother and I shared a chuckle about the inevitable turning point in the little girl's life when she would be buying a smaller sized outfit with hopes to shrink into it.

As we transition from childhood to adulthood, this shift in perspective is not limited to the size of our hips and waist. Our perspective can also change about other areas of our lives, such as career. When we were fresh out of high school and college, many of us felt we could conquer the world. We infused our lack of experience with the confidence we could "grow into" any position we aimed for by applying persistence and spunk.

Then, over time, life happened. I often overhear conversations about a job search or career change that contain little, if any excitement. It would be nice to hear adults speak with the same excitement about life change as the little girl did about hers. We adults could think in terms of what we want to grow into--that is, what we want to expand and become--instead of focusing on the smaller, limiting size of what we believe our skills can "fit" or "shrink" into. We shrink into things based on what we already know, in contrast to expanding into what we could become. Instead of thinking about the type of work and career that would bring us joy and challenge us to be more than our present selves, we limit our thinking to what we can do with only our particular degrees, skill set, and experience.

What if we challenged our thought process to serve our creative soul? This first requires some time to play and let creativity bubble; then we can consider what we dare to grow into. Once we regain hope in the future of possibility and revel in the excitement of change, we align with the childhood dreamer in all of us. And if we need help remembering this part of ourselves, we could borrow someone's little girl and take her shopping!

(Thank you to Robert Norton at http://www.nortondesigns.net/ for touching up my photo from Luckenbach, Texas, where, by the way, "Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach")