Curve balls

Hello everyone, I have been thinking a lot about curve balls lately. I have been thrown many curve balls this summer after leaving my one and a half-year job with a famed newspaper. I was dealt another most unexpected curve ball today. What I have found with each of these events is that I can choose to feel defeated or emerge even stronger from the experience. I also remind myself that it is when curve balls are thrown and life is at its most challenging that I can grow the most and experience joy that is independent of the outside world. I can choose how I feel over any situation. I can choose to feel defeated over my latest curve ball or I can emerge stronger, more joyful, focused and determined to reach my goals. I also think about how painfully dull the movie of my life would be without these occasional curve balls. Imagine how boring and uninspiring great films such as Rocky, The Sound of Music and Good Will Hunting would be if the main characters only experienced happy events and were never dealt any life altering or hurtful curve balls. I am grateful for the curve balls life throws at me for giving me the opportunity to grow and experience a more satisfying movie of my life.

I found my friends have their own ways of dealing with their curve balls. This weekend, my dragon boat paddling team won several well-earned gold medals. One of my good friends was on one of our few losing boats. When she returned to shore, she burst into tears. As the rest of my compassionate friends and team mates tried to comfort her, she looked up and smiled happily. She revealed she was crying tears of joy because she felt so happy and grateful to be alive considering she had attempted suicide 5 only years earlier. Another team-mate sent an email later that night thanking our entire team for their friendship, love and support. She also said she had faced a devastating curve ball two years earlier and had joined our team full of self loathing and fear only to experience a renewed love for life as she experienced our happy, determined team mates who treated her like family from the start and supported her in her goals as a paddler. She was one of our top reasons for our team’s gold medals yesterday as she performed like a champion. I could not be more in awe and inspired by how both of my team mates’ handled their respective curve balls and emerged stronger than ever.

As I thought more about curve balls, I recalled my all time favorite outfit. It is a gorgeous MIUSA dress my father bought for me back in 1994 as I started my sophomore year of college. It is a dress that has accompanied me on many dates, dances, picnics, parties, classes and jobs. No matter how many curve balls I have inadvertently thrown at this beautiful dress it has retained its lovely shape, color and brightness. I found even pictures could not do this lovely dress justice as the following pictures suggest. Still I did try to and I do think the last picture demonstrates the unique beauty of this dress. It is by All that Jazz, another company that made amazing MIUSA clothes. I hope the company still exists but I cannot be sure of that. In the meantime, I hope you all appreciate the beauty of this hallowed dress as much as I do.

This first pic did not look so great in my camera, but here it looks not bad at all. As can be seen, the dress’ gorgeous navy color looks as great as it did 18 years ago when my dad first bought it for me.

The delicate flower pattern of the dress can be seen here as well as the astounding brightness of the dress after 18 years. In the years since my father bought me this dress, I have not found its equal. It is the most beautiful for every occasion dress I have ever seen. Obviously it is an MIUSA dress as nothing foreign-made could ever come close!

[caption id="attachment_345" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Here I am wearing my favorite outfit. I always felt like a princess whenever I wore it and today was no exception:)