I’ve been neglectful of the Diva Dispatch of late – it’s been busy at my day job, and there have been some hard days in our comfortable house as we had to realize that we needed to say good-bye to La Belle Chance, our sweet-hearted rescue hound. These are horribly difficult decisions, but I firmly believe that when you take an animal into your home and life, you have tacitly agreed to be there til the bitter end of the road. I also know enough to know that it’s perfectly okay (and in fact healthy) to take time to feel what you’re feeling. It was necessary to take a step back, and it’s wonderful to be here now.
The Diva path is really a celebration of individuality. In fact, one of the difficult first steps is to spend time figuring out what you actually want your life to look like, instead of just imitating lifestyle coaches and influencers. You need to try on different styles and see for yourself what you enjoy. (And when you find those things, hold them close!) It’s why I’ve been doing this for going on ten years, and still have days where I’m fairly certain I’m just at the starting line.
But a few things are Essentials on the path. (And please remember that you can locate all the “Essentials” posts by typing that term into the Search bar!) And one of those must-haves is an incredibly powerful basic – you have to learn to say “yes.”
Once you commit to saying “yes” (a true “yes” – don’t confuse this with “it’s all right, I suppose.” Hold out for the joyous “YES!”), all manner of good things will begin to happen. It’s easy to think that it’s just a coincidence, but it’s not. (Actual coincidences are, in my experience, quite rare. Nearly always, there’s a Bigger Plan unfolding anonymously. Pay attention to the patterns.) Take today, for example – I’ve been toying with the idea of throwing a mocktail party when the weather decides to get and stay spring-like. So far, it’s really been a folly of mine with no real concrete plans behind it. Then today, I walked into a thrift shop and found a cocktail set (you know, shaker, strainer, muddler, etc.) just perched on a shelf. I didn’t get it – it was priced rather dearly for a thrift shop – but I noticed the nudge and spent a few minutes tonight really trying to figure out what I need.
Whatever you do, make time for “yes.” Once you plant your flag on that hill, you’ll be shocked at how many doors will seem to open effortlessly. You’ll meet someone who knows someone, you’ll gain the confidence to sign up for the class, to agree to go somewhere you never thought you’d go, to wear clothes you never thought you’d try, and so much more as well!
But it all starts with “yes.”
For example, the picture at the top of the post comes from saying “yes” to the question, “Would you like to go see Stevie Nicks?” She was fabulous and the people-watching was superb! These three pictures are also examples of saying “yes” – starting from the left, I said “yes” to trying to make French macarons from scratch and gained a new level of respect for those who have mastered this skill. (Mine were not bad at all for a first try, but they were WAY too big and — well, let’s call the shape “baroque.”) The middle one is from saying “yes” to wanting to host a tea party for friends and digging out as much of the “good stuff” as I could justify. The house still had tufts of cat fur everywhere and no one minded a bit! And the final picture is from saying “yes” to finding out that I like sorting through vinyl records (and I see no reason to apologize for my tastes, which range from Jason Isbell and Tom Waits to Jeri Southern and Taylor Swift) and that I can also say “yes” to gorgeous gifts like a vintage prêt-à-porter Dior robe a wonderful Diva found through vigorous thrifting.
What do you like, Divas? Say “yes” to the adventures of finding it and live with gusto and savoir faire!
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