The ‘Eyes’ Have It

It was Monday.  Elena did her usual link up motivational post.  This time she added something… a new something… a special something… an inspiring something.  She added an optional writing prompt for this Monday’s link up: Standing Taller.  It was more than a prompt to me.  I was inspired, I was all in and then it was my mission.  Wait… What does standing taller even mean to me?  How do I stand taller?  What makes me stand taller?  Do I even stand tall?  Do I need to work on standing taller?

It was my favorite day of the work week… The night of the week I get to stop and buy dinner.  The night I don’t have to cook.  I walked into Jimmy John’s to order sandwiches. “Hi welcome to do a Jimmy John’s. What can we get you?”

The girls were fantastic. Olivia crossed off the list and Francine pick things off the shelf.  No fighting, no whining… a small mommy victory, my own personal moment. Walking to the checkout line at the grocery store the cashier warmly says hello to Olivia and Francine. Olivia shies away at first. “You’re with me sweetie. It’s okay to say hi,” I say to Olivia.

I was busy answering e-mails and getting things done on the computer.  I was a machine and my To Do list was quickly dwindling… yeah me!  A colleague at work walked into my room.  She wanted to run some ideas by me and share an exciting new program she was using.  I looked up to say Hi and welcome her in.  I was on a roll… I was getting things done!  I kept working as she started talking.  I nodded, uh-huh uh-huh and I briefly looked up.

Then it all made sense to me.

I started to place my order. My eyes instantly looked to the floor as I talked. Why was I you looking down?  I’m a confident, strong woman with nothing to prove or be intimidated by.  It was the freckin’ Jimmy John’s order guy for goodness sakes. I looked up from the floor and looked him in the eyes. I continued with my order.  My shoulders instantly went back,  my face lit up a bit and my 5’11 frame stood taller.

Olivia shied away.  A mom look and a friendly mom nudge was all it took.  She instantly stood taller, confidently looked the woman in the eyes and said, “Hi”.   A smile quickly came to her face and a hands over her head, 1 foot, spinning ballet twirl showed me how happy she was with herself.

My collegue continues to share.  My head was still in the computer, but I was listening. I stopped. I looked up, closed the computer and looked her straight in the eyes.  A smile came over her face.  Her shoulders went back a little.  My attention was fully hers.

Eye contact can mean so many different things.  Some cultures value it, while some are intimidated or even offended by it.  Families put varying levels of importance on it. To me, this prompt, this challenge, this mission reminded me…My eyes.
The simple act of looking someone in the eyes…
It requires confidence in me, confidence in who am and confidence in what I am saying.  Making good eye contact makes me stand taller.  Most importantly,  eye contact shows people I am confident in myself.  Eye contact shows people we are confident ourselves.   Eye contact shows others they they are important to us.    Eye contact gives us all a little more height.
                                                                                                            
This Just.Be.Enough Post was inspired by the
new Just.Be.Enough Weekly Theme
This weeks theme: Standing Taller*
I am writing, posting and linking up to share my voice.
my part to carry the weight of confidence, empowerment and sharing the mission of empower, inspire and
remind women, parents and children that
the time has come to celebrate ourselves… myself!
It’s your turn now…
Come Share Your Story!!

 *Next Weeks Theme: “I knew I had to…” or your choice

I am. I can. I will.

It is MONDAY and time for MY Story…
I am writing, posting and linking up to share my voice.
my part to carry the weight of confidence, empowerment and
sharing the mission of empower, inspire and
remind women, parents and children that
the time has come to celebrate ourselves… myself!

It was all Shirley’s idea really… this blogging stuff.  I only wanted to try out Twitter. And what are best friends for if you can ask them (sucker them into) trying something new with you.

Elena from www.ciaomom.com sent out a challenge:
“Fast forward to today. Today is all about celebrating who we are and what we like about ourselves. It is about sending a message to ourselves, to society, and even to our children, that finding the positives in yourself is an important and essential endeavor.  Maybe just maybe, thinking about what we like instead of what we would want to change, will increase our self confidence. Maybe it will help us see things that we have not noticed before. And
maybe it will send the message that we are ENOUGH just the way we are.”
I was instantly hooked.  I wasted no time skyping Shirley and told her Elena’s idea.  The post was written. Elena’s new movement was just beginning.  I was certain I wanted to be part of it.
One month after joining Twitter with Shirley it happened.
Shirley excitedly exclaimed,

“We should start a blog!”
We had a blast as hours of our day were instantly sucked away as we worked on and made our blog our own.
As I wrote my Just.Be.Enough Kids piece for last Thursdays post, my writing seemed to come together. My words really felt like they were flowing.  And with the help of an editor (I have an editor… I have an EDITOR now! Can you believe that!)   The last minute tweaks made it a post that I was truly proud of (thank you Robin www.justbeenough.com editor also at www.farewellstranger.com).
I read blogs, commented, and absorb which pieces I liked and didn’t like.   I started to follow writer’s blog.  I read their  tips and started trying to apply them.  A smile would come over my face as I clicked the publish button, happy with another story of a Kindred Adventure.
Last week’s comments on my post: I am. I can. I will  were some of the most moving and meaningful I had received on the post so far.   It was also a new experience to have so many people read and comment on my post.  It was at that moment I decided to believe I AM a WRITER.  I have found my writing style… I have a writing style!  I love writing!
Lavern’e Journal
Sitting at the table with my journal and pen my energy rises as my ideas become words on paper.  It all started with,  “We should start a blog” and a simple request for Elena.
I am a Writer.  I can be a Writer.
I will forever believe this!

                                                                                                                         

Every MONDAY join us… 
Write, Post, Link-Up, share your story and your voice.  
Be part of carrying the weight of confidence, empowerment and share our mission to empower, inspire, and remind 
 women, parents and children
that the time has come to celebrate ourselves! 

Bellflower Books will be sponsoring the Be Enough Me Monday link ups for ONE month, starting on August 22nd. For every 20 people that link up with a story of how they lived the Be Enough Me “feeling” that week, Bellflower will donate ONE $75 gift certificate to a family identified by Crickett’s Answer for the creation of a 20-page memory book. We will keep a running total of links over the four Mondays and hope to reach our goal of 120 links,

which would provide TEN Bellflower memory books.