A Slice of Humble Pie

Sometimes I feel my feet lifting ever-so-slightly off the ground. All it takes is a slice of humble pie to put things back into perspective.

My academic career has been very successful for the past few years. I have surpassed my wildest expectations, achieving personal bests in school and fitness. I am luckier than most; I have no student debt, have a wonderful boyfriend and family, drive a luxury car, have a six-figure job upon graduation, and could essentially count my blessings out over the entire page.

Needless to say, I am truly blessed in many areas and it can overwhelm me when I least expect it. When it does, I feel an aura of nonchalance drifting over my stream of consciousness, where I feel like I can do anything, be anything, have everything.

I have recently started practicing yoga (more on that later) and it has helped a great deal to put things back into perspective. You know, anyone can experience the beauty of the sound of their own breathing and the stillness of air that surrounds them. Anyone can be perched on a platform on top of the world and slowly fall to the earth, like Icarus in Auden's Musée des Beaux Arts. So I think that it is necessary to achieve worldly goals and excel in your practice, whilst simultaneously retaining the ability to detach and reflect on ideas that cannot be perceived with the senses.

A few days ago, my classmates voted me the "most likely to be featured in [a magazine's special edition of successful people]." It was one of the class awards that was quite meaningful, vs. "best post-break tan." I felt genuinely honored to be the individual that my colleagues view with such high hopes. At the same time, I thought it was important to remind myself that my goals are never motivated by others' hopes and dreams. My passion and drive come from within; from a more spiritual place, that, with more reflection, will catch me as soon as my feet start to lift up from the ground.

Yours,

Sophia

Thoughts on Change (and Pucci)

What it means to "change" is something I've been pondering all day.

There's no doubt in my utmost sincerity to want to improve and become a better person, especially after the repercussions of the past year. However, if three years of law school has drilled anything into my head, it's that intent may be important, but certainly not determinative. Case in point: involuntary manslaughter will still land you in jail. Or, with something more personally relevant, being thoughtlessly selfish and rude will still hurt dearly beloved's feelings, possibly beyond repair. So the questions I am left with are: how can I make the positive changes in my life last? Is this something that should be done gradually, with baby steps, or immediately, with no trace of the past left behind?

I was interested to read this morning that Pucci, after decades of notoriety for its psychedelic prints, has decided to turn a new leaf. As Wall Street Journal puts it, "these days, the company founded by Emilio Pucci aims to be known as the brand of young aristocrats - the one where a winsome girl with good breeding tosses on a skimpy silk-and -ostrich-feather mini dress and heads out for a cappuccino with friends." Seems that Pucci thinks the best changes are immediate and drastic, not incremental.

While I did enjoy a few of their looks, it didn't look anything like the distinctive brand I know and recognize. So this is my goal: make the changes necessary to be made in my life, while still remaining authentic and true to myself.


Yours,
Sophia

One blossom at a time

I decided to start this blog because it NEEDED to be done.

After a fight with someone I dearly love, I realized just how much I have changed over the past few years. The morning after battle royale, I stumbled upon my journal from five years ago. In truth, I only picked it up to examine the intricacies on the cover, a new painting inspiration brewing in my mind. The journal itself is a thick, well-bound French beauty decorated with red and yellow paradisiers. As I started to flip through it, silver strands of my own stream of consciousness hit me so hard, I had to sit cross-legged on the floor and continue.

Who is this person? She seems so happy, content, confident, and... wise.

Even during moments of pure turmoil, this woman keeps it together and writes with such optimism and spiritual intelligence, that I am actually inspired by her. I want to be like her.

Wait a minute... that was me when I was... 19?

So, I need this place to reflect on the beauty in my life that so often passes by without notice, and to capture my spiritual development and re-growth. It is my hope that I will respond to situations in my life with more calm, grace, and humility.

Yours,
Sophia