Skating Uphill - April 2022
Living a Healthy Lifestyle
“Natural Style and Grace are actually pretty easy to spot.”
– The Uphill Skater –
I love to be around women who are natural. To me that means those who have their own kind of style and a grace that comes from inner confidence. Women like that make great friends and are always there for you. I am sure you know what I mean. Think about your closest friend or relative. Hopefully, she is the one who makes you feel good about yourself. The one who has confidence in themselves, but also helps you feel confident, too.
Being true to who you really are can be dependent on the choices you make, which happens nearly 400 hundred times per day. Each time you decide to do one thing and not the other, you make a personal choice. Do you do what you think you should do in the eyes of others, or do you decide what is best for you? Where does your inner strength come from? Do you make that choice from a place of confident strength, or do you just go with the flow? What do you need to do to find the grace to be yourself in the best possible way?
This is a tough one. Pressures to conform come at us from every direction. Keeping to our values is never easy, but especially in today’s climate of TV, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and so on. One hardly knows how to find our own style, grace with confidence and inner peace. It is often difficult in the arena of things like what to wear, where to go, what to drive, where to live, what school to send the children to, or who to go out with. I am reminded of a scene from the movie LA Story with Steve Martin. They—the in crowd—are all in a coffee shop, and the first person orders a latte, the next a latte with a twist, the next a half-caff, the next a strong brew with soy milk, until the orders are a mile long with each person changing their order to beat the one before. Finally, the last person says, “I’ll have a cup of tea.” And… the round of ordering a “one-upper” starts all over again! Whoa, can you be the one to order what you want no matter what everyone else is having?
I understand that style is not always about being different or showy, but it is about being true to you. I am a 35-year vegetarian. I am also a grandmother, a writer of children’s stories, a blogger, a devoted wife, a Christian, an animal lover, and so much more. Who are you? It is important to ponder this powerful question. If you don’t put any thought into it, you will never know. Those who have that natural style and show grace in many different situations are not governed by the situation, but by their earlier choices of self-definition.
Many of us are blessed to be able to choose our life path. I am always grateful for that in my life, even though there are times I wish that were not the case. Choosing brings responsibility. Taking the easy road and going along from day to day without a goal may well be simply lurching from one bad decision to another. When you have a clear self-definition, life is much easier. You control situations, they do not control you. Strength and grace go hand in hand with self-confidence and determination. It is not about how much you paid for your dress, or who did your hair. It’s about how good you feel in it. Now, just go be your fabulous self!
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Judith Lawrenson is a former Hilton Head Island resident who has a huge heart and is loved by all who meet her. She has served and volunteered with numerous charitable organizations while living in the Lowcontry making an impact wherever she went. She and her husband recently moved to the wild hills of West Virginia to be closer to grandchildren. Judith is an avid sailor, a retired reading resource specialist, and a children's TV host whose local show originated from the Boys and girls Club. Judith is also a long time seeker of healthy, happy living and a lifestyle dedicated to service to others balanced with love of God and love of self. Check out her BLOG www.skatinguphill.com for fun info, recipes and nutrition ideas, current updates on nearly everything in the world, and lots of comments and opinions.