Live Life in Full Color

For those who do not know, Shelley Klassen is a local icon. This fashion designer has been dressing women in ultra feminine styles for more than two decades, and has a huge client fan base. Her collections defy the soul-sucking mall palette of drab greys, taupes, white and black. Bright, cheerful colors and prints call out to you when you walk into her boutique, and they are guaranteed to bring a smile. I love the way she refers to her store as feeling like a beautiful garden. It's true.

I reached out to Shelley in the spring of 2023 to update her interview before she took the runway at Vancouver Fashion Week to showcase her new resort wear. While reading, the quote shared below leapt off the page.  I had to stop and pause for a few minutes to read it again. As my number of years on this planet rises, I find myself often pulling back in an attempt to avoid the chaos and drama of being in the public eye. It was time to ask myself if that what I wanted the next decade to look like. The answer was a resounding no.

"After living through Covid, I felt the need to really dive deep into what is important and realized it is really to live life in full color. To love and laugh and eat and dance and cherish what you have." - Shelley Klassen

In my younger years, I was always a pedal to the medal, living life to the fullest, embracing enthusiastically and making mistakes while going full throttle sort of person.  Nothing middle of the road for me. Love me, hate me, join me for the ride.  As with all ADD people, those times were often followed with burnout moments where I needed to refuel by going turtle.  It was a wild ride full of adrenalin alternating with sleep.  

Having kids slowed me down. They needed a mom who was more consistent, and I didn't have the ability to crash when my cup ran dry.  Age also began change things up.  Age might just be a number when it comes to your mind and outlook on life, but the physical affects of age are set for each person.  Every five years I noticed a change - post menopause belly, less energy, more trouble getting a good night's sleep, and less ability to bounce back from drama.  All those combined worked to pull away from the limelight.

I fought back in many ways - pushing myself to try new things, making bucket lists to focus myself outward, booking new travels to countries we had never been, trying new recipes.  Where I fell short, and continue to fall short, is making the effort to be at social affairs and events that connect me with new people. Reading the quote above, though, made me realize I had been slowly drifting away from my goals and dreams.

I found myself quietly stepping away from the spotlight, and letting myself fade into the background. Two sides of the coin arose for me to consider. The first, I write to give wings to the stories of others and the wisdom they share. I write to share lessons from my journey as well as the wisdom handed me as I walk this path. The only way to have the kind of impact I hope to have is by finding a way to effectively give what I am sharing wider exposure. That means allowing myself to be in the public eye and sharing my passion.  

The second, embraces the opposite. It can be a rewarding to be the person in the background making a difference without recognition.  It's like being someone's secret fairy godmother. I have stepped in anonymously a few times, and every time it warms my heart. In Judaism, they consider good work done without any recognition a double blessing. Having tried it, I agree.

In the end, there are just two things that are needed. The first is courage to get out there and embrace life fully with all its highs and lows, joyously grabbing onto opportunities and accepting that sometimes you'll trip. If you do, just shrug your shoulders, dust yourself off and continue on your wild ride.  The second is balance.  Finding the right balance between leaping into new experiences and pausing self-care, between standing in the spotlight and working quietly behind the scenes, is important. Getting your turned on times and turned off times walking amicably hand-in-hand will smooth the way.  

I'd like to close with a quote from David Grohl's book, The Storyteller. It lays out exactly how I hope to move forward from this moment with both courage and balance by my side.  I may need a lot of Band-Aids for the scraps or crashes sure to happen as I careen along, but starting today I reaffirm my choice to live life to it's fullest for as long as I am able.  

"I would celebrate the ensuing years by embracing the toll they'd take on me...Not everything needs a shine...To me, that is beauty. Not the gleam of prefabricated perfection, but the road-worm beauty of individuality, time and wisdom." - David Grohl