5 Mistakes Everyone Should Make

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This month’s issue of Real Simple has a column titled “Life Lessons: 5 Mistakes Everyone Should Make” that really caught my eye. If anyone can appreciate learning more from their mistakes, it’s this girl right here. I agree with some of the 5 mistakes; some of the others I’m a little more hesitant to dive headfirst into. So, I’ve comprised a JustAChiTownGirl list of Mistakes Everyone Should Make.

1. Totally embarrass yourself.

About 2 years ago, I got to the gym one evening to find it the most packed I had ever seen it. I was living in a rather dismal town at the time, definitely pre-JustAChiTownGirl life, and thought the crowded gym could be a great opportunity to step outside my comfort zone and meet some new people. Lucky for me, there was just one treadmill left. As I hurried to snatch it up, and was mid-step on to the machine, I notice an iPhone on the treadmill dashboard. “Weird-someone must have forgotten their phone”. Instantaneously, I realize that no one forgot anything- the treadmill was still on; Its user had gone to get a drink of water. Knees hit the rotating tread, hands went down next, shoulder, left ear, until it had entirely spit me off. The whoooole gym saw me fly off the back of the treadmill. Horrified, I pulled myself to my feet in time to see this tiny blonde girl walking toward me, accusing me of trying to steal her treadmill. Yeah, I thought I’d physically and emotionally harm myself to get your treadmill, lady. I won’t even get into how negligent it was to leave a motorized device running unattended or how the entire incident felt like it lasted an hour but in real time, I was back up in my apartment in under a minute. In the end, after icing my shoulder (that seriously had rubber SKIDMARKS on it) and my pride, I came to understand that the more embarrassing the story, the more you know what you can truly get over when push comes to shove, that not much is really that big of a deal and the more ace-in-the-hole stories you have to humor your friends, the better.

2. Believe strongly, passionately in something or someone…even if you totally change your mind later.

I can name a handful of causes, beliefs and people who I have believed in with every ounce of my being. Some still hold that “Wow, this is absolutely right, this absolutely makes me feel alive and good” conviction to them; others I was flat out, face in the mud wrong about. But be it a presidential candidate or a relationship flame that died out (or was a trainwreck- insert your own bad judgement call here), I’ve found that both teach valuable lessons that can’t be found elsewhere. The ones I have been wrong about force me to examine, in a way I ordinarily would not, the why’s that went into both the belief and the “failure”, if you will, so I always learn something. As for the things, people and places I still believe in, well, it’s great to have those in your pocket as well, if only to remind you what it feels like to truly, in your belly, down to your toes BELIEVE.

3. Be totally wrong about big, major stuff and start over.

I know- coming from a 25 year old, this statement may have little weight. But I’ve been 60 since I was, like, 7, I’ve been collecting Fiestaware since I was 18 and I have been notoriously, epically afraid of failure/being wrong since the beginning of time so this goes down as one of my mistakes to make.

Be wrong. Change your mind. Change your path. Most likely, the only person who will notice or give a damn is you. And probably your parents.

I was halfway through law school when my profound unhappiness became unbearable. I was at a school I hated, in a city that despite my best efforts just never felt like home, surrounded by people who were not my people, not my tribe. I was physically sick, my therapist was practically my best friend and my lack of self-confidence was palpable. So I packed up my car and my cat. I moved to Chicago, a city I loved, a place where i had a community. I took a stand for my happiness, for my life, even though I had no idea yet where that stand was leading me. Yes, I was terrified by how leaving law school, how leaving my perfectly planned life looked to others. In the end though, my worst critic was me, the person most afraid was me. And maybe my parents were nervous for me too. But they held it together and between their support and recognizing that my perfectly planned life was not God’s Perfect Plan, well, it was the best change I’ve ever created and I could have never gotten to the life I love now without it.

4. That’s kinda of all I’ve got right this second. I’ve made mistakes in the last 25 years, learned a lot and definitely know I’m not done.

So you tell me- what mistakes should everyone make?

Rise and Shine

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I saw this little gem of a sign while waiting in line at King Cafe for my morning hit of caffeine.  Any other time of the day, I would have a hard time believing that coffee is the most widely used product in the world after oil.  But before 8am, I totally agree, 100%.  And judging from the looks of the people I pass on my morning commute, they do too.

Happy Hump Day!

Emphasis Added

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On Saturday night, the night of the elevator breakdown, we stayed in for multiple reasons.  Ryan had been fighting a migraine all day and after the 15+ flight stair climb, he was out for the count.  He gets a migraine once about every 4 months and, oddly enough, I didn’t know they were migraines until this past one because he always calls them “Pirate Eye” because his left eye shuts.  Because of a migraine.  Duh, Nina.

So, since Ryan had a pirate eye and all, we tuckled into bed super early, giving me the opportunity to read Emphasis Added without interruption.  Emphasis Added is a blog I was introduced to by a lovely woman I work out with at  Equinox.  The author is her daughter and seems to be every bit as fabulous as her mom.

I am love, love, LOVING digging into this blog.  I think the best bloggers/writers are the ones that 1) make you go “Me too!” or 2) make you go “Awesome!  I want to try that!”.  This blog definitely elicits both responses from me, particularly in the realms of fashion and family.

You know how in “Eat, Pray, Love”, Liz is looking for “her word”?  I think Emphasis Added and its author’s word is bold. Bold in how much she loves her family and husband, bold in the fun things she does, bold in fashion (love “head-to-toe posts), bold in the mistakes and seasons she moves past.  I enjoy this blog very much for this reason; it makes me want to be just a little more bold.

Starting right now.

One Last ____

adminChicago Summer, end of summer, Labor Day weekend, Luna Bell, Ryan, summer cocktails, Uncategorized%s Comments

Labor Day weekend is traditionally, if not officially, the last weekend of summer.  It’s been a real, live summer; a hot, sticky, lots of popsicles and swims in the lake kind of summer.  Even though the temperature dropped 15 degrees literally over night, I spent a good part of this weekend soaking up those last delicious moments that happen at the end of each season.  The ones you aren’t quite ready to let go of even though you’re looking forward to the next best thing.

It was a tad chilly this weekend but you better believe I was going to lay out.  I grabbed a blanket, book, and boyfriend and went to the park near our apartment.  I just wanted to feel the sun on my face and smell the sweet smell of freshly cut grass one last time.  This may sound dramatic but if you live in the Midwest, you know these days are fleeting and you know how difficult it is in February to remember what it’s like to walk outside and not hate…well, everything.  The above pic was taken pre-park nap.  This is my kind of outdoorsiness.

In keeping with the theme of “one last ___”, it was also time for one last summer cocktail.  Taste testing at Whole Foods procured us a bottle of Blackberry wine.  Way too sweet to drink straight but we played around a bit and came up with this:

A little vodka, a little blackberry wine, a little soda water and muddled raspberries.  Delightful.  We all know how much I love champagne so I’m thinking a splash of the blackberry wine topped with champagne will be my Fall cocktail.  Replacing the standard Fall favorite of Captain and Apple Cider.   Stay tuned.

People who have dogs were out in full force, playing fetch in the hot summer sun one last time.  We have a cat and it’s generally not socially acceptable to take her places so Ryan played fetch with her inside.

Ryan throws red ball.  Luna Bell jumps, meows and waits for him to do it again.  This went on for a good 15 minutes.  Our cat is the best dog ever.

So, farewell Summer.  Thanks for being so sunny and warm and sparkly on the water outside my window.  Please don’t be shy about showing up again, perhaps as early as April.  We’ll be anxiously waiting…

Detour.

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It’s all fun and games until 2 out of 3 elevators in your building break down.

Ryan and I arrived at our building tonight to find a line of people, our neighbors essentially, gathered around the corner by where the elevators are. I figured some event must be going on. And there was, if you consider a 30 minute wait to go up an elevator to your home an “event”. When Angry Old Man informed me of the situation and I heard babies crying, Ryan and I grabbed our Whole Foods grocery bags and sprinted for the other set of elevators.

We took the elevator to the 25th floor and then, with our new friends Curly Haired Girl and Bald lululemon-loving Man, we climbed the 11+ flights of stairs to our apartment. Thank goodness there is another set of elevators that at least goes up slightly less than half the building. Thank goodness we didn’t do heavy duty grocery shopping. Thank goodness we only bought one bottle of wine. On second thought, maybe that was bad…

We stayed put tonight, in case you hadn’t guessed. Ahh, the trials and tribulations of high rises.