What I love most is a great conversation.
A conversation that is real, that is raw and that is full of disclosures. It also needs to be full of provocative questions and challenges. The heart needs to be engaged. The conversation does not need to be heavy, in fact it can be deliciously light and full of laughs. But what it can't be, is superficial. There is no space for blah, blah, blah.
When the heart is engaged, this is for me, when the best chats take place.
It does not need to take long, in fact the inspiration for this post came from an incredibly short, 15 minutes journey to the airport. It was with my friend, African Queen, whom I have known for over 15 years and have not seen for months.
The distance did not matter, neither did the time spent together. We maxed out the 15 minutes and got to the stuff that could have taken others a week or even a lifetime to get to.
It was beautiful, it was pure and it was honest. There was no pretending, there was no posturing and there was no time for fluff.
It went straight to the core.
Thank you my African Queen. Thank you for enagaging your heart. And now for a cup of Rooibus!
Who do you like talking to most and what type of conversations are they?
Make sure you have one of them today. I intend to.
Sister alopecia
I don't know many people with alopecia. In fact, as I think about it, I know only one. I don't think I had consciously noted that before. Anyway, this one particular person is very special and takes the place of many.
Actually, we very rarely talk about our condition. We have many, many other subjects that we love to delve into, not least our love for people and human nature. However, on those rare occasions alopecia does become a topic, we share our tips on how to get wig reimbursements and where to buy the best and latest fashions. We even laugh about moments when we get caught out and have “wig moments”. We are, probably, always first in line to compliment each other on our latest models and daring switch of styles: moving from short to long is always a bold move, as is radical colour change. Others often struggle with how to mention this as they are afraid of recognizing the condition publicly.
Now, who is she, my sister alopecia? She was the first person at work ever to confront me with my condition. I still remember that moment. She was bold and I froze. I was still in the early days and coming to terms with my hair loss and she was not letting me hide. She knew what I needed and gave it to me in spades. Direct yet kind. Upfront and personal.
From that moment on, and now many years later, she still unleashes a freedom in me, by acknowledging the struggle as a female in business. She shows me that it doesn't matter that I have no hair, yet she shows me how to make it matter.
She demonstrates that hairloss releases inner beauty, she shows me that elegance and sophistication in the corporate world shine through. She inspires through her presence and even more so by her kindness. She is the ultimate role model and my icon of elegance.
Together, we have an alopecian fantasy: One day we imagine ourselves on stage, presenting to a global senior leadership team, one of the most important you can imagine. We will give some kind of presentation, most likely on the importance of inclusion in the workforce, the fact that getting the right people in the door is not enough, the fact that inclusion is one of the most critical drivers of success we are faced with and the one that we pay least attention to. At the end of this thought provoking and clearly intelligently delivered masterpiece, we will just whip off our wigs and parade beautifully on the stage, most likely laughing and most definitely looking gorgeous.
The audience will be temporarily stunned but seconds later, the crowd will roar, they will stand and cheer.
There will be a wonderful and long-awaited celebration for women doing business beautifully. A celebration for woman around the world who, whatever their hidden inconveniences, are successful. This event will go down in corporate history books. It will be known as the moment humanity walked back in.
Will we do it? I don't think so. Do we have the guts to do it? Absolutely.
So as I close this post, know that I have crazy fantasies that may one day hit the headlines, but also know that these fantasies lighten the load. They allow humor to take the place of anxiety and have a place in the journey. Dear icon of elegance, thank you for leading the way, beating the path and being there every step of the way, always. Your loyal and learned student thanks you.
Actually, we very rarely talk about our condition. We have many, many other subjects that we love to delve into, not least our love for people and human nature. However, on those rare occasions alopecia does become a topic, we share our tips on how to get wig reimbursements and where to buy the best and latest fashions. We even laugh about moments when we get caught out and have “wig moments”. We are, probably, always first in line to compliment each other on our latest models and daring switch of styles: moving from short to long is always a bold move, as is radical colour change. Others often struggle with how to mention this as they are afraid of recognizing the condition publicly.
Now, who is she, my sister alopecia? She was the first person at work ever to confront me with my condition. I still remember that moment. She was bold and I froze. I was still in the early days and coming to terms with my hair loss and she was not letting me hide. She knew what I needed and gave it to me in spades. Direct yet kind. Upfront and personal.
From that moment on, and now many years later, she still unleashes a freedom in me, by acknowledging the struggle as a female in business. She shows me that it doesn't matter that I have no hair, yet she shows me how to make it matter.
She demonstrates that hairloss releases inner beauty, she shows me that elegance and sophistication in the corporate world shine through. She inspires through her presence and even more so by her kindness. She is the ultimate role model and my icon of elegance.
Together, we have an alopecian fantasy: One day we imagine ourselves on stage, presenting to a global senior leadership team, one of the most important you can imagine. We will give some kind of presentation, most likely on the importance of inclusion in the workforce, the fact that getting the right people in the door is not enough, the fact that inclusion is one of the most critical drivers of success we are faced with and the one that we pay least attention to. At the end of this thought provoking and clearly intelligently delivered masterpiece, we will just whip off our wigs and parade beautifully on the stage, most likely laughing and most definitely looking gorgeous.
The audience will be temporarily stunned but seconds later, the crowd will roar, they will stand and cheer.
There will be a wonderful and long-awaited celebration for women doing business beautifully. A celebration for woman around the world who, whatever their hidden inconveniences, are successful. This event will go down in corporate history books. It will be known as the moment humanity walked back in.
Will we do it? I don't think so. Do we have the guts to do it? Absolutely.
So as I close this post, know that I have crazy fantasies that may one day hit the headlines, but also know that these fantasies lighten the load. They allow humor to take the place of anxiety and have a place in the journey. Dear icon of elegance, thank you for leading the way, beating the path and being there every step of the way, always. Your loyal and learned student thanks you.
4 twinkles and sparkles
Sparkle and twinkle, such beautiful words.
The first mention was on a comment by "H" on my "Wigs are like trousers at Zara" post. This story is fifteen years old. Back then did I twinkle?
The second time was a friend saying that, hearing me talk about my blog and my hair loss, gave me a sparkle. Last week did I sparkle?
The third once, came a few days ago. It was from a friend saying that the content of my posts sparkle. Such a lovely compliment, thanks NED buddy.
These incidents are fifteen years apart, yet all describe something very similar. Different words, but to me, they have the same meaning. I believe these three lovely ladies saw something in me, something that we all have deep down. But at least for me, it does not get inspired that frequently. So what is it that makes us sparkle and twinkle? Is it mischief? Passion? Contentedness?
The forth time, the word came from my daughter. She absolutely adores glittery and sequined things. On that particular day, I was wearing a shiny top. She stopped me as I walked past and said "Mummy you look so pretty when you sparkle".
I love the way children express themselves. In it's inaccuracy, what they say is often perfectly accurate.
Hearing these four, independent mentions of the words, sparkle and twinkle, three of them within a period of only a few days, may be a coincidence. Maybe I was listening for these words. Maybe I heard them for the first time in respect to me.
Whatever it is, I will take the compliments and give myself a word for the week.
This week I sparkle!
Thank you to all four of you for voicing your thoughts. You have made me smile from ear to ear. You have increased my sparkliness.
So what is your word for the week?
Lots of love Sparkly BBB x
The first mention was on a comment by "H" on my "Wigs are like trousers at Zara" post. This story is fifteen years old. Back then did I twinkle?
The second time was a friend saying that, hearing me talk about my blog and my hair loss, gave me a sparkle. Last week did I sparkle?
The third once, came a few days ago. It was from a friend saying that the content of my posts sparkle. Such a lovely compliment, thanks NED buddy.
These incidents are fifteen years apart, yet all describe something very similar. Different words, but to me, they have the same meaning. I believe these three lovely ladies saw something in me, something that we all have deep down. But at least for me, it does not get inspired that frequently. So what is it that makes us sparkle and twinkle? Is it mischief? Passion? Contentedness?
The forth time, the word came from my daughter. She absolutely adores glittery and sequined things. On that particular day, I was wearing a shiny top. She stopped me as I walked past and said "Mummy you look so pretty when you sparkle".
I love the way children express themselves. In it's inaccuracy, what they say is often perfectly accurate.
Hearing these four, independent mentions of the words, sparkle and twinkle, three of them within a period of only a few days, may be a coincidence. Maybe I was listening for these words. Maybe I heard them for the first time in respect to me.
Whatever it is, I will take the compliments and give myself a word for the week.
This week I sparkle!
Thank you to all four of you for voicing your thoughts. You have made me smile from ear to ear. You have increased my sparkliness.
So what is your word for the week?
Lots of love Sparkly BBB x
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