Lifestyle Advice from the Oracle of Awesome

Sweet and sour chicken. Have I taken a break? Or have I taken a break?

I’ve taken a break.

I’ve bounced around many possible (and eventual) topics for blog posts here at Athena Fey. All interest me and all gleam as important nuggets I want to share with you. From hair tips and facial care, to encouraging words when buying your first car all on your own, to spring fling fun deals, there’s so much I want to share with the readers of Athena Fey.

But the truth is, I have been wholly uninspired these past few weeks. In fact, I’ve passed uninspired and dipped into “Dear sweet cheese, let me tune out!”

I’ve been dreaming of vacations and locations where cell service dies. I’ve been searching for the inspiration and motivation to get back on my game. But I find myself fighting high negativity. The news lately has been particularly disheartening to me. It’s election year, and I know I’m at the beginning of an uphill battle with that one, since my political beliefs, though backed by sincere thought, become emotional when challenged. In less than a month I will make my 2012 bathing suit premiere in front of my dearest friends, and I just can’t seem to shake off insecurity or hop on the consistent workout bandwagon to battle it. I’ve been fighting a sinus infection, I’m missing lost loved ones, I’m crying quite randomly and truthfully, I’m tired.

Usually, when I feel bombarded and weak, I turn to my favorite form of inspiration: movies. I’ve always loved movies. I’m a dramatic person in truth, and there’s always a movie that seems to play out my particular emotions though a character that I can relate to. And because Hollywood is what it is, my character always wins. I can pick which ending I want.

At first I gravitated towards The Holiday. I’ve no idea how many times I’ve seen this movie, but I have it memorized. I just love how Amanda’s character has her grand moment at the very beginning of the movie, and by the end, I’m rooting so hard for Iris to have hers, and she delivers. “Gumption!”

Mmmm… but that’s not quite what I’m looking for this time.

What about Pride and Prejudice? A classic tale about a woman who’s strong from the start and has to be hit hard in the face with her future before accepting it. And the music is sensational. No… not quite right.

And then my finger grazes across the cover of You’ve Got Mail. “Oh yes…” I think. “This might do the trick.”

But it seems that my love for the movie made me forget that my heroine doesn’t win. She doesn’t. And when Meg Ryan perfectly delivers the following line, I crumble.

Joe Fox: It wasn’t personal.

Kathleen Kelly: What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn’t personal to you. But it was personal to me. It was personal to a lot of people. And what’s so wrong with being personal,anyway?

Joe Fox: Uh, nothing…

Kathleen Kelly: Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.

It all feels very personal. And I remember that we all feel that way. Because to someone, somewhere, something is very personal. Every action, every news story, every insecurity, every comment, is personal. And I have hidden away these past 10 days in fear of being too personal. But shouldn’t every true cause begin by being personal?

So let’s get personal. Instead of offering up some grand solution for feeling small, which could never work because every solution is personal, I simply ask, what inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration when you’re feeling weird, or down, or out? What are your rituals when you find yourself feeling tired and weak?

I have found that chocolate really does fight off dementors, Pinterest can be an incredible distraction tool (I’ve started several projects this past week, and baked a few more) when it’s not intent on putting a picture of an Olympic athlete on my feed, and movies will always be there for me, thank heaven! Jennifer Lawrence is currently inspiring me to love my body image and Ellen videos keep me chuckling. What about you?

Also, puppies.

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