Time to Use the Fine China

So I do this weird thing, and maybe you do it too. I find the CUTEST top while out shopping. And I mean CUTE. The details…the color…it hides all of the mid-section imperfections, it really is the cutest thing. I buy it, take it home, hang it up, and save it. You know, for a special occasion when I reeeeeeally want to look cute. This top can’t be added to the rotation on just any old day. I HAVE to save it for something important. Days, weeks, sometimes months go by, and every time I see that cute top in my closet, I think, “Oh ya, I can’t WAIT til I get to wear that!” Ummmmmm, excuse me? What. Am. I. Waiting. For?

Rewind almost 30 years. Yep, we’re going way back to good ‘ol middle school. That time in life when you feel great about yourself. Um, right. Not so much. So one day while out shopping for school clothes, I found the perfect top.  So on-trend for 1986. It was a white cotton button-up with bold royal blue accents. I pared it with a bright red jumper and just for fun, I threw a yellow shaker sweater over top. If only I had a picture of this fashion disaster to show you (ketchup and mustard, anyone?). Needless to say, the primary color scheme probably wasn’t optimal. Mix that with my huge glasses, a fresh perm, and my sorry attempt at lavender eye shadow. Somehow, I felt unstoppable in that outfit. I wanted to wear it ALL the time. It was the cutest thing my middle school brain could imagine. So, on occasion I rocked it several times a week….ya. This was trouble. Do you REMEMBER 8th grade? There is a STRICT unsaid law that you DO NOT, under ANY circumstances, EVER wear the same outfit twice in the same month, let alone week. The unkind teasing that ensued made 8th grade pretty unpleasant.

So maybe you didn’t live the “same outfit twice in one week” debacle, but perhaps you were teased once or twice about your clothing choices. Maybe you’re like me and when you’re getting ready to go somewhere, you ask yourself, “Did I wear this last time I saw this group of people?” Because heaven knows I don’t want to be caught wearing the same outfit to church 2 weeks in a row. (Refer to paragraph 2) I think we’ve all had situations that shape us. They make us think about the ideal. The what-could-be. The how-we-SHOULD-be.

What about that fine china in the cabinet over the refrigerator? You know, the dishes you got for your wedding 23 years ago that you’re saving for a special occasion? Like maybe SOMEDAY you’re going to host 12 people for a fancy dinner party. And when that happens, you’ll be all set.

Maybe it’s that fun “date night idea list” that you pinned on Pinterest. Maybe you even pinned it twice. Ya, that would be fun someday.

“Hey I know, we should call up those old friends we haven’t seen in forever and get together. Maybe after I lose a few pounds. And get my hair done. And our schedule gets a little lighter.”

That family vacation? Letting the kids have a slumber party? Getting more involved at church?

My point is, LIFE. LIVE IT.

What are we waiting for? Oh my goodness, let’s be a little crazy this week. Bust out that fine china and serve up your Monday night spaghetti to the people who REALLY matter in your life. Schedule that date night and make it happen. Text those long-lost friends right now (go ahead, I’ll wait…) and see when they can get together for dinner. Don’t have extra cash laying around for a family vacation? Drop everything and take your kids to the park, without looking at your phone even once. Make the priorities, priorities. And PLEASE, for the love, wear that cute top.