For Better, For Worse ... FOR YOU!: 2015

Good will hunting

This week, this one's FOR YOU ...

12/28/15

Is it crazy or really crazy that my ‘visions of sugar plums’ are in the form of Ben and Matt when I think of good will? Must be the magic of Christmas.

I’ve had a transition year of sorts and would sum it up as 365 days of hunting for the goodness in both others and myself. Just like the world that we live in, good will can be found in many sizes, shapes and colors. For starters - thanks to my girlfriend - I’ve discovered the absolute benevolence in shopping at Goodwill. Coined The Will, I enjoy the complete experience - the hunting, the finding and the trash to treasure metaphors. I especially like its full-circle concept from donated inventory to items purchased for reuse, a perfect give-to-get storm. The result is the birth of commerce, job creation, and an opportunity for deserving individuals to work and earn with purpose. At a recent “little black dress” museum opening, I wore a classic midnight blue Ann Taylor cocktail shift, a purchase from my neighborhood Goodwill. The boutique magazine Sophisticated Living covered the fundraiser and published my $5 find in their party pics. Not saying that snapshots in a glossy pub can bring on world peace, but I am saying that if you have the will … there’s always a way.

Somehow we’ve come to live in a time when it can be unnecessarily exhausting to voice an opinion or to simply be yourself without consideration. So this holiday when I unexpectedly found good will in my 11-year-old nephew, Seth, I knew that Santa was watching. The star player of both his travel baseball and basketball teams, Seth makes no bones about the fact that pink is his favorite color. He lives in a small town in Kentucky where the Confederate flag is no stranger and where every day at 6:45am he rides the bus to school with his Nike backpack in tow. It’s probably very similar to the backpacks of his fellow fifth graders – except for the fact that his is pink, of course. In my opinion, that’s a whole lot of good will. And that’s exactly why I love him.

Here’s to peace on earth, good will to all. This year and every year.

What's in it FOR YOU? For better, for worse…

· Be that dog who always hunts

· There’s a lot of give in a dress from The Will

· Don’t underestimate the "will power" of 11 year olds

· Pink is a color – a beautiful color – and nothing more

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About the Author: White knuckled and never letting go of 49 ... the creator of For Better, For Worse, FOR YOU is most likely having a mid-life crisis and just wants someone to ask her what she wants for dinner. Yes, it's that simple. A single, working mom of an amazing 10 year old, she continues to wake up every morning and slumber every night forever thankful and awe-struck by her beautiful family, friends, and neighbors who - wrapped up as a collective love - allow her to breathe. Life is just this good.

When it rains, it pours

This week, this one's FOR YOU ...

11/30/15

We've had a lot of rain in Atlanta this fall. More than usual it seems. A recent 10-day run of it with no sun and grey skies made for a lot of red wine and trips with my son, his friends, and our neighbors to those indoor jumpy places breeding CDC reported fungi that we moms live to freak out about. Seriously, it rained so much that I fantasized about the Hunter boots I bought two years ago and returned because A) They were beyond uncomfortable: and B) They were $250. Bottom line is that it rained nonstop for days on end, and I somehow could not let go of the fact that I had NO Hunter boots to wear. EVER. Never mind that there was a small pond forming in my eroded front yard or the fact that the dog had not been walked in the last 48 hours.

But alas, in the end, the best part of the rain was being forced to sit still. And just be. For a moment. Beyond the Hunter boots and deep yoga inhales, I just was. On one of the last of the rainy nights, Dylan and I decided to download Inside Out, the must-see Disney Pixar movie of the year. It’s a feel good-er about looking at your world from the inside out and confronting the emotions of Joy (jumpy places) Fear (to live in the moment), Anger (rain like there’s no tomorrow), Disgust (Hunter boots) and Sadness (returning the Hunter boots).

As we ‘tis the season and start to wrap that big ass red bow around it all, let your hair down like it’s raining cats and dog and there’s nothing you can do about it … but look out the window and enjoy the view.

What's in it FOR YOU? For better, for worse…

· Too much can be a good thing

· Obsess. Rinse. Repeat.

· Let your cup runneth over, watch it spill all over the floor … and then walk away

· Channel your inner Morton salt girl – she’s a super cute bitch under that umbrella - but so are you!

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Take the time to fall in love all over again ... with what you have

This week, this one's FOR YOU ...

11/3/15

Lord knows that I've looked for love in many places, some better than others. But this week I fell in love with something literally at my feet - the dog. A new addition to the family this year, Chubby has been a blessing and a curse. 'Whose idea was this? A dog ... REALLY?!" The walks, the poop, the scoop, the shedding, the chewing, the getting into the trash, the vet bills, the who's-going-to-take-care-of-the-dog when we get an invite to the beach? You get the picture.

This weekend Chubby and I were in the car navigating the usual Atlanta traffic when, at a light in a long line of idling cars, I turned around to make sure he was not jumping out of the window and - at the exact same time - noticed a woman in the car next to us gazing lovingly and longingly at ... MY dog. I looked at Chubby, he looked at me and admittedly I melted on the spot (pun intended) and fell heart first - all over again.

What's in it FOR YOU? For better, for worse ...

· Count your blessings

· Live, love, & learn

· A new POV can make the difference (take the time to look at life while standing on your head); and

· A dog really is a woMAN's best friend

SHARE your falling in love story!