Embrace

Hey y'all, if you're looking for a theme for February, let me suggest one: Embrace
And by let me suggest one, I mean, Here's a theme for you, Gay, and anyone else that wants one. Let's be for real, new year's goals are starting to lose priority, the sun seems like it's never going to shine {unless you live in Sunny So Cal, sorry}, and you've realized you're not 25 anymore...and probably haven't been for awhile.
And all these little weights can start to hold you down, threatening to suffocate you. And hence the need to embrace. To embrace how things are...not how you wish they were. Which seems to be the first step to moving toward how you wish things were!
Coincidentally-- or maybe not-- that was really my only New Year resolution. I am so ready to wrap my arms around life and love the breath out of it! I had a little "ah ha" moment last year that is still sticking to my insides, pushing me to forge onward.
Yosh and I were sneaking out after hours on a weekday to see Taken 2. That day I'd had a conversation with someone promoting me to really follow my heart, and take risks by acting on those small and sometimes crazy ideas that'll be popping into my head. Why is it that the notion of pushing boundaries makes us feel so vulnerable?  Often when I feel myself dissatisfied in my current state of complacency, I am also so deathly afraid to take even a tiny step into the sphere of unknown that opens up to new ideas and new levels of creativity {whatever your definition of that may be} and happiness. 
That night, I literally felt myself teetering on the edge of this cliff. Was I going to succumb to complacency because of fear? Or was I going to take a step off and add myself to the masses that push life to higher experiences and create more? Although only a mental battle, I physically could feel it taking place.
As Yosh and I made our way to the box office, Yosh pointed out the patrons in front of us. Sure enough it was Luke Wilson {Owen Wilson's brother} and a lady friend. It seemed in that moment, Luke Wilson was acting as a visual aide for me. He represented those that didn't settle for normalcy and safe. He represented people that on a whim followed the crazy little ideas that entered their head and heart- ideas that acted nothing short of a bread crumb path to lead them to a higher plane of living, that created the path to the end of the rainbow where their dreams were waiting.
Living in LA, my eyes have been opened to the fact that there are thousands upon thousands trying to make it in the entertainment industry. So what separates effort and desire from success? What elevates one to higher playing grounds while another remains enslaved to normalcy? 
I'm not suggesting "Hollywood" and money and fame are a higher, richer way of living. Nor is that my aspiration. I also don't have any idea what Luke's big break was. I know nothing about the boy. But I imagine that, along with a million other things and coupled with luck, taking a leap of faith is required on occasion after occasion for people like him to get where they are. It is acts of reaching and stretching and embracing more aspects of life.

Photo Credit

And that night, amid the teetering and fear and instability, I made my decision. I decided I wanted to live that way. I decided to reestablish limits of what I had deemed possible, to follow that crazy voice that stings at my heart with ideas of fun trips with my boys, and different writing topics, and ways to take life to that next level. I decided to challenge my comfort zone and touch life in different realms. Embrace
I'm all in! And I want February to be a reminder of that, an encourager of that. Today, I'm being featured over at My Thirty Spot, talking about the most AWESOME decade there is....that of being in your 30's. Erin has dedicated her whole blog to embracing your 30's and what we need to know for this time period. I love that our for real golden years are getting such a radiant spotlight! And, even though it's a day late and a dollar short, can we talk about all these mouth-watering dips? I'm calling for a Super Bowl party do-over to embrace all this freaking goodness in my mouth.
To make the idea to embrace an official party, meet my new party girl Alycia, from Crowley Party- told you she was a party girl! A party girl who had a birthday yesterday nonetheless. We are teaming up to do another month of  creating with our readers. We're asking all of you to submit pictures that to you define embrace. Whether it's embracing someone {hello Valentine's Day!} or sunshine or opportunity or love or challenges..... we want to see what embrace means to you! Email your pictures to agirlnamedgay@gmail.com and look for a touching- oh yes, it's going to be touching- slideshow on the last day of February where YOU will teach us all about embracing. {just like this, remember?!}
So are you excited or what?! No, for real, get excited! Because this is fun stuff. And.....GO!