"Stop saying mean things to yourself"
When I considered writing something about rejuvenation I immediately assumed that I'd write about ways to rejuvenate one's existing wardrobe. After all, that's pretty much what I do. I go into people's closets and help them sort through the items that they already have. I help them mix things up, suggesting that they put things together in ways that probably haven't occurred to them. Then I give them recommendations for pieces to purchase to complete their current wardrobe. I'll even shop with them or alone to find said pieces, specializing in finding things inexpensively at thrift stores and the like. Given all of this, a natural direction for me to go with this article would be to write about the ‘Top Five Pieces to Look for to Rejuvenate a Stagnant Wardrobe’, or perhaps ‘Five Basics Every Woman Should Own for a Well-Rounded Style’. But no matter how many times I sat down to try to write that, I couldn't do it. My heart isn't there right now.
Recently I've suffered the loss of a 23-year friendship. This is something that would have previously shaken me to my depths and caused me to question my worth not only as a friend, but also as a person. I haven't always been comfortable in my own skin, and when my beloved friend and I met as awkward teenagers, I hadn't known the first thing about self-love. It's safe to say that neither of us could have predicted the ways each of us would change and grow. In the end, neither of us much resembles the girls who were back when we met, and it became painfully clear that the women we are now perhaps lack those common threads that tied us together over the years. Of course, I ache. I mourn.
I'm experiencing one of the most significant deaths I've ever faced. But through it all, I've managed to remain intact, a whole person. Not even the loss of a relationship that has defined me for nearly 2/3rds of my life can convince me that I'm anything but lovely and generous and big-hearted. Looking in from the outside, I marvel to myself, "Who is this girl? Where did she get such confidence?"
Over the years, I've learned that how you talk to yourself is incredibly powerful, and can make all of the difference in any situation. And so right now, I am feeling very passionate about Thought Rejuvenation. I feel incapable of writing about anything else! I have seen its power, and so I have to espouse its virtues! Friends, it is life changing.