sparkle from scratch.

I was so busy being thankful this November I totally flaked out on last month’s blog post.  I promise I will make it up to you next Thanksgiving with five of the most inspired paragraphs about turkey anyone has ever read.  

But for now...let's talk tinsel shall we?

I was out in middle-America this week enjoying my "other life" which primarily involves non-stop work with the occasional break to sleep, eat a bowl of something (soup/cereal) and enjoy two fun filled hours of me time each evening for:

a) exercise 
b) getting my nails done 
c) shopping 

Last night I decided to go with option B since I "forgot" to pack my sneakers and well, this girl wanted some red glitter no-chip polish in a big way.

I headed to my fav Illinois outdoor shopping city (I mean mall) and picked my color at the fanciest "PICK YOUR COLOR!!!" nail salon you’ve ever seen.  This place has roman columns and looks like the inside of a mausoleum.  (Those Midwest ladies are apparently not joking around when it comes to getting their nails done).  

The nail tech, David, came over and introduced himself.  He made some polite small talk as he evaluated the two week old chipped polish disaster I walked in with.  

At first we kept it light.  We talked about the frigid Chicago temps and the best places to get a good bowl of pho in the area.  Small talk eventually turned into real talk - work, marriage, children, life.  David told me all about his beautiful wife and their six children - and how he had been a mechanical engineer in Vietnam before relocating his family to the states.  I told him about the family I leave behind when I pack it up for Chicago twice a month and what it's been like for them.

David the nail tech and I chatted and laughed for a full hour while he prepared my nails for the festive weeks ahead.

  

Right?  David's got skills.

Toward the end of our visit he asked what I do for fun when I am in Chicagoland.  I told him not much, that I mostly just work, because I don’t really have any friends in the area.  David looked at me with no ulterior motive and complete sincerity and simply said:

“You have me.”

There we sat surrounded by some serious suburban Midwest holiday bling, yet it was his words that shined.

It was his kindness that sparkled.

We put a lot of effort into making the season bright don’t we?  We decorate our homes, clothing, retail stores, airports, vehicles (can someone please explain to me the antlers and Rudolph nose on the car thing?) – we even decorate our fingernails. 

It's easy to say it's all commercial and over the top, but here's what I think.  I say it's a good thing.

The trimmings and trappings that come standard with the holidays remind us that it’s time to get to work on the important business of being human.  The overdone holiday entrance to Target reminds us that it’s the season to connect, and the stuff in the $3 bins is not how we will do it.  

It whispers “It's that time. There is more to it than this.  You can create your own sparkle from scratch”.  The beauty we see around us reminds us to create something beautiful within us.  

things like:

Police in Chicago spending a day bowling with inner city at-risk youth to help them feel safe and comfortable with law enforcement.

*sparkle*

A single woman in the office volunteering to run the company Toys for Tots fundraiser.

*sparkle*

A husband and wife spend an evening making homemade Christmas cards for kids at the local children’s hospital.

*sparkle*

Parents donating gift cards to their local elementary school so families less fortunate can put something special under the tree.

*sparkle*

Two women turn a simple small town tree lighting ceremony into a night of singing, crafts, hot cocoa and pure magic for kids (thank you Bonnie and JoAnne).

*sparkle*

Together Rising donates millions of dollars to support children in Aleppo.

*click here to sparkle*

A nail tech in the Midwest tells a perfect stranger she has a new friend.

*sparkle*

This is how we make the season shimmer friends.  Genuine human connection is our tinsel.  Gestures that say “I am here, I see you, and I care" are the decorations.

This is how we strengthen our communities.

This is how we teach our children to be givers.

This is how we show one another we all have the same value.

This is how we fill our hearts.

This is how we heal.

This is how we create sparkle from scratch.

merry merry friends.  xo - juli