Category Archives: Informative

May 05 2012
2 Comments
Informative, Instructive

WWAFS

I default to wearing black T-shirts. It’s not like I get up in the morning and say “I think I’ll wear a black T-shirt today”. It’s just that as I stand in my closet trying to decide what to wear I gravitate to them. It’s easy. I mean, what doesn’t go with a black T-shirt? Throw a cardi over it and you’ve got an outfit. And I’m ok with that…at least I was ok with it until one day when I was visiting my Auntie Fannie (have I mentioned she’s 93 years old and lives with my Mother) she looked at me and said “you should wear something more feminine”.

Now I had never really thought about my black t-shirts in this way, nor for that matter my Toms, which I wear primarily for the dual purpose of making me appear to be a good person while still looking cool. But now that my Auntie Fannie mentioned it, I realized that not only was she being honest, she was also being right. And while some people may have been less than pleased with this sudden revelation I knew that at that very moment Auntie Fannie had just made my life infinitely easier. Here’s why.

As a shallow person the decision-making process has never been particularly onerous since I usually just vacillate between “whatever” and “sure”, the latter being infinitely more positive than the former. But where things sometimes fall apart is in the level of confidence I have in my decisions. I am not always confident that I am making the right decision. The problem is that I don’t really have a reliable barometer to measure my decisions against. But at the very moment that my Auntie Fannie called me out on my attire I knew that my days of uncertainty were over. I knew that all I needed to do when making a decision was listen to that little voice in my head that implored me to consider what Auntie Fannie would say (WWAFS). I mean what more can you ask for from any decision than it be honest and right? And since it’s working so well for me I thought it could help you too.

You may have your own “Auntie Fannie” (if so just make the necessary changes to the acronym) but if you don’t you can use mine. Trust me, she’ll never give you a bum steer. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a safe bet, put your money on me wearing a dress next time I go for a visit.

May 01 2012
Leave a comment
Informative

I understand

I know that not everyone is or aspires to be shallow and that’s fine by me. Not only do I get it, I even understand the gap between my way of being and theirs. And while I am not currently inclined to try to build any bridges, the idea of doing so has never seemed insurmountable. Take travel for example.

A few years ago I ran into an old classmate of mine, had one of those “catch-up” chats, the kind you have after not having seen or thought of someone for 40 years, and then went home and immediately googled him, as anyone would. What I discovered was truly awe-inspiring. Both he and his wife have traveled to remote villages in various parts of the world, always living among the people in an effort to not only better understand them, but to learn from them and give back in whatever way they are able. They write about living intentionally and yoga, and the spiritual nature of their surroundings. They write about a room they found on the beach and they are happy because it has hot water, unlike the last. I so admire what they are doing and for a brief moment I even imagine what it would be like travel the world the way they do.

And then I remember…I collect Hyatt points. That gap might be wider than I thought.

Apr 28 2012
6 Comments
Informative

We have a mantra

I woke up this morning to the realization that I have been at this blog posting thing for an entire week. I may not have posted each day of the week but I did “think” about posting almost every day so the commitment is there. And in the life of a shallow person a one week commitment is pretty significant. I don’t think there is any scientific evidence for this, like there is for the dogs, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that one shallow week is the equivalent of a year or so in other people’s time. I mean I can hardly think of anything that I have stuck with for more than a week. Ok, so I played Farmville for two and a half years but I’m not sure that’s a good example. And I did finish knitting a scarf last winter but it turned out shorter than I had originally planned. No, as I sit here racking my brain trying to think of “things I have done for more than a week” I’m drawing a blank. But this is different. I have found a purpose, a goal so to speak and I am carrying it out through the writing of this blog. I have followers, and I can put that in the plural because there are two, so now it’s important for me to find a way to stick with this. What can I do to make this work?  What will make me commit to this for longer than a week?

After some thought I decided the answer was to create a mantra. If mantras keep other people focused, why not me? So here it is. My mantra is “one week at a time”. Now that I have written it down it sounds vaguely familiar. But I’m going with it. I’ve made it through one week and I think I can make it through one more. And maybe one more after that. I’m happy to share my mantra if you think it will work for you too. Just be careful with it. You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself.

Apr 25 2012
Leave a comment
Informative

Born this way

As you may imagine I am not really into party politics.  And before you judge, remember I live in a province where the choice is between “Right” and “More Right”. But when a politician uses the lyrics of a pop song as a reference point for his rather draconian ideas about who should live how, well that gets my attention.  Throw in a little fire and brimstone and you really got me thinking.  And so it was that I began to wonder if being shallow was something I learned or could it be a genetic trait?  Do I have a choice? In other words, was I just born this way?

Now I love my Mother.  She’s a sophisticated, smart business woman who at 96 years old (no that’s not a typo) lives in her own condo and still fries up a mean bull’s eye.  But as I pondered this question a recent conversation we had came to mind.  It went something like this:

Mother: So what’s going on with that election in Alberta?
Me: Well Danielle Smith seems to be gaining ground.  We’re a little concerned.
Mother: Isn’t she the leader of the Wild Rose Party?
Me: That’s the one.  You know, the ones who don’t believe in climate change, think two-tiered health care will fix the lines, figure white people understand other white people best, and are pretty sure that gays are going to burn in hell.
Mother:  Yes, I’ve seen her on TV and it’s too right wing for me.  But you know, she’s a lovely looking woman.

Yep…I love my Mom but I think I’m gonna have to go with Lady GaGa on this one.

Apr 22 2012
Leave a comment
Informative

What have I done?

Last night I couldn’t sleep.  I found myself tossing and turning while ideas, topics and sentences relentlessly floated in and out of my consciousness. It was a veritable word fest. And so it seems that I am overwhelmed with the enormity of this undertaking.  I have to admit that the sudden realization that I have committed to sharing my thoughts and ideas about being and becoming shallow is rather daunting.  Can I really do this?  What am I going to write about? Does writing about being shallow make me less shallow? My Mother doesn’t have a computer so will anyone read this? And if they do, will they like it?  Will they care? What have I done?

Fortunately the light of dawn brought with it the much-needed perspective I had been missing.  I’ve paid my 17 bucks.  I’m in.

← Older posts
Newer posts →