The RSVP. Is it a lost art? Hold onto your hats people because the answer is YES.
Allow me to elaborate and explain.
RSVP is translated from the French term meaning "please respond" and is defined as "to reply to an invitation". Plain and simply, it means YES I AM COMING or NO I AM NOT. It does NOT mean I'm gong to say yes unless something better comes along. It does not mean I'm going to say maybe because I'm incapable of making a decision. It does not mean I'm going to say yes but bail on you last minute. It does not mean I can be an asshole and make the hosts wait to the last minute for a reply. It does not mean drag your tail between your legs and take forever to decide what you're going to do. It means YES or NO. Plain and simple.
There are a variety of people in this world. Let's delve into the categories, and you can determine which you fit into.
1. Something better will come along, so I'm a maybe.
2. I can't confirm anything and am incapable of planning, so I'm a no.
3. Can't wait- I'm a yes! I'm writing it in my planner and putting it into my phone so I don't forget.
4. This sounds great- I'm a yes. But I'm noncommittal and won't likely show. Hope you'll still be my friend even though I bail all.the.time.
5. An invite?! Definitely yes! Another invite?! Definitely yes! I say yes to everything, I just wait til last minute to decide which one I'm gong to! And then I post on social media where I am instead of where I said I'd be. Grrrrr.
I will be the first to admit that I have RSVP'd a "maybe" before. HOWEVER, I have been upfront, honest, and clear with the person hosting WHY I am a maybe and confirm that I will give them a definite response by two weeks prior. Why? Because I have manners and am considerate.
The way of the world these days has me worried for upcoming generations. Forget about handwritten notes, looking someone in the eye while having a conversation, holding the door open for the next person behind you, or even picking up the phone to talk to someone (isn't that what texting is for?!), they way of the world seems to be changing and I'm not sure I'm ready for the lack of manners and consideration that seems to be socially acceptable.
Do you feel me? Do you see that people have no consideration for a host anymore? Or is it just this little hole I live in... I'm going to guess it's the first.
You're probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about.
Allow me to explain.
I have discovered in my 40 years on this earth that people are either the giver, the receiver, or the taker.
The Giver
You give and give give and give. And it makes you feel complete. And happy. And fulfilled. Whether it's the shirt off your back, the feelings in your heart, the prayers in your soul, or the time you can spare. You give. You're the giver.
The Receiver
You love receiving. Receiving gifts, compliments, time with your friends, hugs, encouragement, you're the receiver. And you are ever-so-thankful and grateful for those who gift to you.
The Taker
You take. You don't receive. You don't give. You suck from others what you want without the slightest concern or second guess of how or why it is happening. You just do it.
I have all of the three types. I have friends who are givers. They just love to give. Would literally give the shirt off of their back if needed. I have the receivers. They just love to receive something. My time, my effort, my energy, my heartfelt gift-giving. They just love and are grateful as a receiver. Then there are the takers. Those who suck and bleed me dry of my energy, my time, and my patience.
So tell me, which are you? And who do you allow into your friend circle?
There, I said it. And put it out to the internet for all to see.
Seven years ago, I started blogging. And I use the term "blogging" loosely. I was not efficient with it. I did not take it seriously. I did not have a focus. I just rambled online because some teachers I worked with suggested it. Check out my very first post here.
But, I have recently, over the past year, decided to get back into it as a way of expressing myself and having something to do. Mainly, I was looking for bloggers to follow who were like me and I struggled greatly with finding them. Most bloggers I found lived and had the picture-perfect life. Which I far from have, believe me. I also found they were all super tall, thin, had impeccable skin, fabulous hair, and looked like a model even before they walked out the door. Then, the self-doubt started to sink in. I am not tall, I do not look like a model, my hair is a hot mess almost every day, and I am as far from a model as one can be. I mean, I'm 4'10" tall and have a round shape. Let's be real.
The more I thought about it, the more the doubt set in. I don't look like the average blogger. I don't talk like the average blogger. I don't decorate my house like the average blogger. I don't post like the average blogger. I don't style the shelves in my home to be featured in a magazine. I don't walk through the grocery store in over-the-knee boots while wearing a floppy hat and cashmere sweater. You'd walk past me 100 times over without even noticing me most days.
But then I stopped. Why do I want to be average?! Why do I want to be like everyone else?! Sure, I take inspiration from other bloggers. I mean, who doesn't want the cute new booties from Target they're all wearing or have gorgeous front steps covered in mums and pumpkins styled oh-so-perfectly?! Don't we all?! But inspiration is different than becoming.
Instagram was sucking my sense of identity from me. I was constantly looking for the next best outfit, the newest accessory for my house, the cutest new boots, eyelash extensions, but for what?! And why?! To be like everyone else?! I just can't anymore.
I asked on my Instagram stories over the weekend a few questions to my followers. I asked about what kinds of pictures they want to see (staged or real life) and 99% said real life. I asked what kind of fashion pics people want to see (use what you already own or buy new) and 96% said use what you have. I asked if they wanted to see my family life as well as fashion and styling and 97% said yes. I asked if they found bloggers and influencers to be inauthentic and 99% said yes. And I finally asked about my #thisis40 challenge I made to myself and if they enjoyed it and 98% said yes! I found these answers enlightening and greatly assisted me in my newest decision.
I am going to continue blogging and I hope that I appeal to you and your friends. And I am going to continue to be me, 150% me. Authentic and real and if I have spinach stuck in my teeth in a picture, so be it. That's what you're gonna get. I share style and fashion tips, fun restaurants that my friends, family and I discover, and lots of ins and outs of being a mom.
I'm not your normal blogger. I'm your neighbor, your friend, the mom you see enjoying her coffee while strolling the aisles of Target with a messy bun and mismatched socks. I roll on the floor at MyGym with my toddler every week, I cry at stupid GE and AT&T commercials, I love to shop but savor a good deal. I don't wear makeup everyday, my pictures are taken in selfie mode or by my toddler, I wash my hair maybe once a week, and I do this "blogging thing" because I know there are others out there like me who just want to read tips and tidbits from a fellow "normal mom" and know it's ok to not be picture perfect day in and day out.
So, thank you for being here with me and enjoying my little blog I've got going here. I hope you'll stick around for a while and see where our life takes us.
