Choose it.

I keep finding that life is full of serious moments that can either captivate or kill you. We choose to live, love, learn and seek God in the times that leave us breathless or empty. I am finding that most people fill their lives with some ultimate challenge to divert them from facing themselves or their inner happiness.

We will love ourselves, hate ourselves, talk bad about people, limit God, limit others, limit ourselves, and limit our happiness because we are afraid of abandoning controversy. We are truly a lost and desperate race, but it doesn’t even matter. We can be completely doomed, and choose happiness within that desperate time. The sun is always shining somewhere in the world. And we can distract ourselves from bitter emptiness, or we can turn around, look ourselves in the eyes, and face our inner turmoil with both pride and humility.

We choose to see life as beautiful when all of our hopes and dreams seem lost and limited.

I choose happiness. Here’s to making this one count.

-Swanky

Do It

I have established life as perplexing in the way it transforms me every single day. I find myself and my life completely unrecognizable at certain moments in time. Lately, I seem to be issuing statements of guilt into the Universe through my codependent tendencies. Paying the waiter an exorbitant tip to absolve the guilt of my past relationship, depriving myself of dessert with hope to stick it to self-consciousness, and maintaining painful relations with old friends to feel self-worth are a few examples of how my life is absolutely controlled by guilt.

The way I’ve lived has led me form opinions about myself and the world around me. I can share my heart because I have identified with it and located it for the very first time in my life. I believe that there is no definite starting date for codependency. In fact, the evolution began when I first suppressed the hollow halls of my empty life and began to burden myself with the woes of others to detract from my immediate lack of self-worth.

Throughout my travels, however, I am learning to speak to myself about coping and beginning to have faith about moving forward. I am finally learning to address myself and my needs… To establish exactly who I am and what I want in this life.

As volatile people, we cannot feel selfish or driven by fear or shame when we make choices regarding our needs and desires. We must learn to live in harmony with ourselves and establish exactly what we want and need. So tonight, I ask you… Who are you and what do you want?

Let’s think on good things and send positive energy to tomorrow.

Always here,

Swanky

Air Fresh, So Clean

I can’t imagine a place more ethereal than Paris. Even the air here is androgynous, and I’m not including the relentless fashion sense I breathe daily in the streets and on the metro. During my stay at Jean Monnet, I have seen an eclectic range of wardrobe separates, all blended together to create a peculiar couture-ish look that absolutely works.

In Paris, women depend on their bodies. They have an understated edge of masculinity that defies the delicacy of their appearance. I have seen structured boyfriend jackets, flowing teacup skirts, and colored Mary Jane’s. I have seen wild hair, jagged scarves, boyfriend jeans, and vintage accessories.

It’s both surprising and refreshing to encounter a woman who is unconcerned with the appearance of her face, but absolutely aware of her body and the organic nature of its structure. In Paris, fashion is fashion. It’s about clothes, nothing more or less.

No one cares about makeup or matching in Paris. In fact, the more layers and textures, the better. No one ever wears tennis shoes, t-shirts, or flip-flops in Paris. In fact, no one wears sloppy denim or bright colors either.

In Paris, it’s easy to spot the American. Appropriately, these particular foreigners are always dressed in sloppy graphic tees, unfitted jeans, and the infamous Coach purse/tacky Oakley sunglasses or a face full of eyeliner.

In the city, I have found well-constructed clothing and shoes at prices ranging from $15-15,000 Euros. And although the handbags and briefcases are mostly designer, locals here carry bags that are not burdened by labels. For example, I have seen very limited monogramming. Even the children are well dressed.

The best thing about Parisian fashion is that there are no cultural labels and no limits when it comes to wardrobe.

Go see for yourself.

Swanky