It's been far too long since my last post. I can give a million excuses why, but every one of them would fall flat; especially since I am famous for mentoring others to dedicate time for their passions. Lately, I've been ignoring my own advice. It's interesting how lessons present themselves and are just as important for the teacher as for the one being taught.
I was taking Skye to school last week and Taylor Swift's song, "Shake it Off" was on the radio. Skye loves Taylor Swift and as a mom looking for positive role models for my 8-year old diva, I couldn't be happier that she loves her. But, I digress. . .
Skye was asking me what the song means, and as I broke it down for her, I realized how desperately the child in all of us needs to really listen to the lyrics. The chorus says it all, and I've added an excerpt from it here:
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| Taylor Swift taught us how not to sweat the small stuff. |
"Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off."
-Swift, Taylor / Martin, Max / Schuster, Karl Johan.
As the chorus played, I told her, "The world can throw a lot of negative messages at you and sometimes it's hard not to believe them, so you have to remember the best thing to do is to be yourself and shake off the bad stuff."
The look on her face was priceless. Her smile cut through the morning fog better than any coffee ever could, and helped me realize just how much those lyrics could apply to my own experience. As a child, I was afraid of people finding out I was gay. And as I stepped into adulthood and came out, that fear was gone; but at times, other insecurities present themselves. For example, I find myself easily caught up in negative experiences at work and recognize the country kid inside me is fearful that all the executives I work with will see the dirt from working at Wiswell's Farm still under my fingernails and discount my abilities. So, I know I needed to really listen to that song's message as much as Skye did. After all, that job taught me more about the importance of hard work and integrity than any other job I have held.
So, I'm going to remember to shake off the bad stuff too and continue to stay positive. It's important for Skye to see me show her what confidence and happiness looks like. I want her to understand that very often, being happy is a conscious choice. And even though it's easy to dwell on the dark things in life, we can chase away the shadows by letting our light shine through. My little girl is able to do that better than I am, and now, I want to grow up and be just like her.
