Every day is a special occasion

My husband is intriguing.

He can be the most quiet guy in the room or extremely entertaining. Either way, you often find yourself listening to what he has to say.

Last week, he took me shopping for clothes because he knows I won’t spoil myself.

The notorious housewife uniform, as he puts it, consists of workout pants and a t-shirt. Today, I realized that somewhere along the way, I too, have adopted this daily look.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment of losing my desire to pull myself together, but it is obviously no longer a priority most days. The only thing I may do different than other SAHM’s is wrestling with my hair and makeup (still flaunting my favorite running pants and t-shirt).

After going shopping last week and buying several new items, I realized that much of my closet is filled with clothing from soooo long ago. The items are primarily gifts that other people selected, I didn’t exactly pick the pieces myself. And while those closest to me are comfortable with picking clothing for me (they know me better than anyone else), I still didn’t choose the clothing for myself. I didn’t get the experience of shopping and selecting pieces just for me.

When we made it home, he encouraged me to try on each piece, giving a fashion show while feeding Grant his lunch. He thought it might help my confidence.

Listen you guys, I have not shopped in this way since before Grant was born and because of Covid-19, we were unable to use the dressing rooms so I had to literally guess what sizes I was — all the more daunting.

Each time I tried on something I got overwhelmed with fear that it wasn’t going to fit and I would end up embarrassed. Well, guess what…. they ALL fit. I ended up feeling so confident in my new wardrobe, not just because I got new clothes but because I was spoiled by my husband, got to pick clothing I identified with, prioritized myself, and tried it all on without needing to return a thing!

I shared with him that I “couldn’t wait for the next special occasion to flaunt my new garb!”

Immediately, he looked at me like I had 12 heads and said, “…don’t hold yourself back, don’t you know who you are? Everyday is a special occasion, being you.”

Jon reminded me that we don’t have to wait for the perfect timing to show up for ourselves. We don’t have to wait for the perfect timing to flaunt our best, feeling confident in our skin. You are the special occasion, so show up for yourself! In trying on the clothing I realized that although I have weight I still want to lose from having Grant, I owe it to myself to dress like I care about me.

In dressing like I care, I’ll act accordingly. There’s always going to be a reason to neglect yourself, especially having kids — but where does that leave you when they are gone off to college? Will you even recognize yourself?

Now I’m not encouraging you to go on a shopping spree, I don’t know your financial situation. But do something that shows you care about who you are today and all that you want to become. Do something that inspires you, just for you. It shouldn’t have to be a special occasion for you to show up for you.

You are worthy.

Deepest love,