I’ve Found A Rainbow
In case you haven't heard, Kesha released her first album in years last month. She has always been somewhat of an inspiration to me for her strength through the legal/other struggles she has faced, and also for being a voice for those who don't always feel like they have one. The title track from the album gave me the title of this post:
I’ve found a rainbow, rainbow baby/Trust me, I know life is scary/But just put those colors on, girl/Come and play along with me tonight
Those that have encouraged me in creating and maintaining my blog deserve an explanation and my gratitude.
The last few months have been a bit of a rollercoaster that led to an unintentional pause in posting.
Some highs and lows:
- Went my first Flip Phone Drag Brunch (Kesha themed!!)
- Participated in a local Fashion Industry panel
At Fashion Industry Nights in June - L to R: JR Walker, Joie Schubert, Vanessa Donnelly, Liz Mauban, Grant Whittaker.
- Turned 27
- Failed the PE exam
- Had some stress management issues that led to a small breakdown
- Started training at a kickboxing gym to help manage stress and get in shape
- Fell in love
- Found inspiration on a family vacation
I recently looked through Eileen Fisher’s latest campaign featuring quotes from prominent women about power that motivated me to get back into regularly blogging: https://www.eileenfisher.com/shop/collections/womens-collections/power-in-the-words-of-women/
Eileen Fisher has been on the forefront of sustainable and socially conscious fashion that fits all body types since before I was born, and on my sustainable style journey, I have admired the values behind the business - from committing to fabric sourcing and garment production standards, to a recycling/refurbishing and reselling program, consumer education and more.
“Power" can refer to innovation, creativity, education, etc like in Eileen Fisher’s campaign, or to electricity, having authority over others, or even having strength within yourself to achieve higher goals and pull through the lows in life.
It reminded me that in 2014, I was the recipient of my Toastmasters club’s Empowerment Award.
Toastmasters District 6 Empowerment Award
I had even declared 2014 the year of empowerment, after that and attending BECAUSE and adjusting to being on my own in a new city.
2014 has been the year of empowerment. Coming in to who I am and really owning it, rather than allowing it to own me.
— Liz M. (@poizenisxkandee) November 5, 2014
But somewhere between then and now, with the rush of the growth and moving to another new city, I had lost some of that and gotten a little jaded and somewhat complacent.
I needed the recent highs and lows to get me excited and back in balance.
Now I remember that I have the:
- power to love myself and love others
- power to let go of people and things that aren’t adding to my life
- power to stand up for myself and for others
- power to develop healthier lifelong habits
In addition to building in time to my schedule for regular exercise, I’ve also started cooking more vegetarian and vegan meals - my favorites so far include Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche and Red Lentil and Spinach Masala. With that, I've cut out dining out (other than notable exceptions on vacation and the State Fair) to gain more control over what I am eating and save some cash. I now try to get to bed at reasonable times rather than being on #teamnosleep.
And, as I type, I am in a study room at the library. I hope to continue the habit of setting aside time for blogging and eventually studying to retake the PE.
That’s right - I am planning to retake the exam on April 13, 2018. This time, I will start studying earlier and study smarter, hoping to leave room to take care of myself and enjoy a personal life.
My study plans don’t kick in until right after Fashion Week Minnesota Fall 2017, so keep an eye out for my top picks and join me at some of the shows!