My friends and I were having a text conversation this morning, talking about the stories that we tell ourselves about what other people are thinking about us, and what is going to happen in the future, and we let these stories grow and grow, especially if we are creative, imaginative, emotional, anxious people. We can easily be our own worst enemies. We have the meanest of “mean girls” inside of our own heads who are experts at torturing and manipulating us. My friend said that when her daughter finds herself getting carried away with worries like this, her daughter says to herself, “I am not the bride.” This is a reminder that we aren’t the focus of other people’s thoughts and attention, nearly as much as we think that we are, and when we put our worries into the wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee, don’t-be-a-narcissist, “I am not the bride” context, this is the thought that follows: “Ewww. No thank you. I don’t care to be a bridezilla. Sit down and shut up, stupid mean girl in my head.” So today, on Favorite Things Friday, my new favorite mantra is “I am not the bride.” I think that this will make for a nice, in-the-moment, easy-going weekend.
My bonus favorite for this Favorite Things Friday is a jewelry company called The Pink Reef (HELLOPINKREEF.COM). Their jewelry is colorful, and feminine, and mostly statement pieces, featuring large hand-painted flowers and butterflies. I believe that Barbie would buy jewelry from The Pink Reef. And clearly, based on the blockbuster movie sales, we all love Barbie.
Friends, you are not the bride (hopefully you’ll only ever be a bride (or groom) once or twice in your whole lives – even Elizabeth Taylor was only the bride eight times in her entire lifetime). Let that peaceful thought carry you throughout this weekend, freely doing whatever you please to live an enjoyable, in-the-moment, full of awe experience, all weekend long, without ever needing the approval of others. Free yourself to enjoy the festivities without any concerns about being in the spotlight. Delight in shutting your “inner meanie” down.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.
Kelly,
I love the mantra, ‘I’m not the bride’. And gosh, who needs that insanity….
I also have one, that a good friend shared with me. When she was growing up and trouble ensued in their home, my friend would get her self into a big tizzy worrying that her parents were going to discipline her. She would cry and carry on…to make her stop, her mother would say, ‘you didn’t get hit yet’!
I have loved that saying and she and I often say it to each other when we get ahead of ourselves in worry and sadness.
It just makes me stop and get some perspective that it maintains not even bad as I am assuming.
Funny what we tell ourselves…when we are listening!
Have a great weekend!
😊💕
Oh that’s a keeper, Joan! Thank you for sharing!
“I am not the bride” is helpful for everything that this thought doesn’t sweep up: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Enjoy your weekend.
Truth! Thanks Gail!