This is Skye

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

On Monday morning I woke up and decided I wanted to do something dramatic.
I do that sometimes.
I get an idea in my head and it snowballs and I just have to do it before my bravery wears off and I change my mind.
And so I called the hairdresser, booked myself in, found a photo of what I wanted and by the same time the next day my hair was gone.

To assess the damage, here's the comparison.
Same girl, same headband, a couple of months apart:
 
I NEVER thought I'd be a pixie cut girl.
When I was in high school, My hair at it's longest was down to my butt.
This was only 18 months ago...


I think I like it!
It's taking some getting used to, but I can do fun stuff with it too.
For instance, after my shower last night I discovered that I can totally rock a mohawk if the mood so hits me!
(And now I hope someone has a punk themed party before I decide to grow it long again!)

What's the verdict?
xxx

Chills

It's a rare thing that I hear a song that gives me chills.
If you have a couple of minutes, listen to this.
It is amazing. Blew my mind.

Just a Human, Being.

I was walking home one Friday night recently.
It was about 9:30 at night, and it was cold and dark.
I got to the apartment building just before mine and a gentleman jumped out from behind a tree eating a bread roll.
(I use 'jumped' probably as an exaggeration. In reality, he just sort of appeared.)
"Do you want some bread?" he asked.
I smiled politely, said "No, thank you" and kept walking.
"Are you sure?" he persisted.
I looked back.
He was wearing an old hooded jumper, with the hood over his head and ripped jeans.
I judged him and walked a little faster.
"Really, we have plenty to share" I suddenly heard a female voice call out.

It turned out that this couple are given crates full of bread from the local Bakers Delight when they close on a Friday night and distribute it they around the community; to churches, to the hungry and homeless and if they have some left, to a few of their friends who happen to be my neighbours.
They gave me a plastic bag full of fresh bread and french sticks and sweet buns, along with their mobile phone number and told me to call them if I ever wanted more.
They didn't ask for anything in return, not even my apartment number to make a delivery.
As I was walking away, the man said to me "There are still good people in the world you know, everyone is just putting up higher walls."

That comment messed with my head.

As a country girl I grew up trusting everyone.
Possibly a little bit too much.
Eveyone just knew everyone in my small town.
Mum often says that when I was a kid, she'd turn around to find me gone in the supermarket, and find me sitting on a bench talking to some old man I had never met, as though we were old friends.
That's how far my trust in other people extended.
But the bread man's comment made me realise that at some point that had changed.
When did I stop having faith in others?
And when did I stop just being and doing for the joy of being and doing.

After a bit of soul searching, I realised that it wasnt when my heart got broken for the first time, it wasn't because of any particular news story I head read, drug addict or homeless person I had witnessed, nor any job I had hated.
It was just because I had gotten older, lived, seen and known things that I didn't know then.
As a grown up, you have deadlines to meet, you feel like you have people to impress, you hear too many things about the unfavourable people in the world and you begin to become untrusting and you just kind of stop being that open hearted kid.

It's my personal mission right now to try and rediscoverthat side of myself.
I'm going to reopen my heart.
There is that lame old addage to love like you've never been hurt and dance like nobody is watching. I think people lost the meaning of that after seeing it printed on too many inspirational calendars and their mothers' facebook pages, but it makes complete sense.

The way I see it is, if we open our hearts and people reject it, that's their karma.
If we never open our hearts in the first place, that's ours.
Some of the most joyful and memorable moments in my life to date have been hen I just let go and let myself be myself.

I was having a conversation with a scrapbooking friend over the weekend also, and I said to her that I most like my work when I am just being creative and trying new things and playing.
No deadlines, no stress, no trying to impress anybody, no commissions - just creating.
It's a similar thing.
I sat down to create a page last night with that in mind and absolutely loved the outcome:


  
 
    For the first time in months, I am once more loving the thing that used to make me so happy.

If opening my heart and being and doing and smiling extends to my creativity, it is entirely likely it will extend to every other part of my life and I cannot wait to see where that will lead!

xxxx
Skye

Brave Girls Club

I am forever grateful for all of the amazing women I get to know and meet through scrapbooking.
One such lady is Giovanna Scott.
She is a soulful, beautiful and inspiringly strong woman.
I was reading her blog today when I was directed to the Brave Girls Club.
I checked it out and I knew I had to join instantly and pass it on to every other woman I know.
It is run by an amazingly inspiring lady named Melody Ross, who lives by this personal mantra...
 
That is the most simple summary for how to live life that I have ever come across.
Truly gorgeous.

I'm so excited to be part of the Brave girls Club and look forward to all of the positivity that comes with it!
I know that there are people who read this blog who aren't scrapbookers - girls I went to school with, family, friends. I think everyone of you should check this out.
A bit of positivity never hurt anyone, right? All you need is an email address.
:)

xxx
Skye