simplicity 2016: tshirts and chuck taylors

Yesterday I had a conversation.

It went like this....


Me: Hey Ellie, how was your day? Amazing?

Ellie: It really was! I started my internship and it was great.

Me: That's awesome.

Ellie: How was your day?

Me: Honestly? My day was great!

Ellie: What made it great?

Me: Well, I'm wearing my favorite shirt and my favorite shoes and my favorite pants. My hair looks pretty legit... Oh, and I ate cake for lunch."

***

When I was in the 3rd grade, I had this sweater. It was amazing. Machine woven polyester, covered in what we're supposed to be patterns of Yorkshire terriers. This sweater was my jam. And I absolutely HAD to wear it with my pleated plaid skirt. Because how else would you wear it??


I could do anything in this outfit. Talk about confidence for dayz... So of course I wore it three out of the five days in the school week. Because #homeschooled.

I was also completely oblivious to what anyone else thought, and had not yet had to start wearing deodorant. So clothes went farther between washes...

 ***

A few weeks ago I watched a YouTube video of a little girl named Jessica. She is standing in front of a mirror and shouting at the top of her lungs all the things she loves about her life.

"I LOVE MY MOM. I LOVE MY DAD. I LOVE MY HAIR. I LOVE MY PAJAMAS. I LOVE MY TOYS. I. LOVE. MY. WHOLE. HOUSE!"

Some of these things she loves so much she has to mention them twice. And even three times. It was amazing and I think Jessica and I should be friends.

 ***

 

What makes the perfect day? Is it everything going the way we want? Is it being surrounded by people we love? It is never having to worry about anything?

Personally, I think it is a little bit different for everyone.

For Jessica it was shouting personal affirmations at herself in the mirror and then continuing to shout aforementioned affirmations as she ran down the hallways in her favorite pajamas.

For 8-year old me, it was wearing my favorite sweater every day to give me confidence. Because school is fun, but 9-year olds are scary.

Last night I was reminded I don't need a lot to be happy and joyful. 

Slowing down isn't always possible. And simplicity isn't always the first option we have available.

But it was a good reminder that sometimes it only takes a pair of purple chucks and a slice of cake to make a perfect day.