Hi, All.

There has been something on my mind the past few days, and I thought it would make an excellent introduction to today’s post.

Are you aware of the phenomenon that some things just are?

No matter what you do to adjust or work to change it, any and all thoughts of rejection of the thing are all wholly and unconditionally counter productive.

What comes to mind for you?

Perhaps you are a night owl, and even when you had that 9-5 job you had to wake up early for, your sacred time remained after dark. Neat. Could not be me!

Or maybe it is something like you have just never enjoyed a certain food. Not that you have not tried, but your tastebuds have never developed your mind’s same openness. I know the feeling!

However insignificant these things seem, I need you to understand something.

Though, how my favorite dessert of all time, chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, through the wax and wane of life remains my favorite, could be considered “insignificant,” when I am a woman of the mind to change the world, is beyond me.

Even the littlest things promote the life that we strive to achieve for ourselves. 

It is a MINDSET!

Read on, humble being.

Red. It is my forever color. (To wear, that is. You know how I feel about pink 😉 )

Feeling blah? Wear red. Feeling fabulous and all sorts of fierce? Wear red. Cloudy and less than tolerable temperature outside? Wear red, darn it!

No matter what shoes come my way, as glorious and shiny, unique yet classic they may be, my first pair of Ferragamos will always remain my most favorite pair. Yes, they are red. No, this is not coincidence.

It is actually the exact same situation with my reissue Jackie 1961 bag.

I do not care how petite and delicious any new bag is. Candy pink and effortless design is all I will ever need. Um… it was named after JACKIE. It was her signature handbag. Need I say more?

It is not even about these external things, as much as I adore them. This phenomenon exists within my voice… especially.

Back in the days of high school talent shows, I was a consistent contender. Though, I doubt you could even call it competition. I have been in a few competitions in my day…

Truly, it was one of the only things I could do to show the people that I interacted with on the daily what I am actually like. On the stage, get it?

So every year, I served up a doozy with live accompaniment to boot. I say that, though in my world, it is standard, because I was alongside less than mediocre karaoke level “singing” and whatever else people thought was talent, with recorded tracks.

Not to bash anybody’s hobbies in high school, but kindly look at the facts.

I use a recording of my pianist playing alone for practice. Hello, there is even a piano in the practice room. But to perform with the recording??

I digress, people.

Junior year, I decided I was finally going to win. What better way to do that than with Mozart by my side?

Just like he will be at the Met.

That year, if I remember correctly, withheld an exceptional amount of uncomfortable shifting from the audience, and general distaste for the whole ceremony. I know I felt that way, but I was not sitting in the house.

However, the room went absolutely silent when I walked out. Any guesses as to why?

I had on my best gown, red tulle.

And my sparkliest tiara. (At the time, of course… my collection has vastly grown since.)

And my pearliest opera gloves, with jewelry to dazzle, and did my very prima donna thing. 

This was stylist Marcy and princess Bentley in prime action mode! What a THRILL!!!

Do not get me wrong, darlings. 

I love karaoke as much as the next friend to my left, but I usually perform in that way under much more… unconstrained circumstance…

You will perhaps be unconvinced when I tell you that after I sang the aria, which had a stun effect to the audience, I was runner up to a senior.

No joke. I think I should have won on principal alone. 

I mean… you could not have missed my dress from a mile away. If not for my voice, which we know remains the winner to this day, what about THE DRESS?

It certainly did not matter, because I missed the next year’s night of delight attending a voice lesson instead. Sigh. Oh, bother. Better go next time!

Why, might you ask, was I so at ease with this chain of events?

I was not the least bit disappointed to not have graced their stage again, nor in my lack of recognition at the year before. And now, here I am, years later, truly developing my foundation for the future.

Not for a moment am I saddened at this thought. Instead, I think, This is grand!

Further, I wonder. Would I have won if I had covered Whitney Houston or The Supremes? Well, even my karaoke levels up to professional. Certainly it did when I was in high school.

In a dress like that? I could do practically anything.

Do you heed my words?

When you know yourself, you can TRUST THAT!!!

In fact, I implore you. The universe demands that you trust yourself above all else.

No matter what ANYBODY else says or does, especially as it differs from you, you must respect these things about you, just as they are.

They are what make you who you are.

You may be asking,

“Well, Bentley, why are some things just the way they are? How can you be so certain?”

Actually, more simply put, there is no problem in this scenario. The fact that I found these things before I turned 20 years old and will exist with them for the rest of my life is an expression of relief, and in no way alarming. Do you see what I am trying to convey to you?

Perhaps we are not all so lucky to know that from such a young age, but we are all on our own path, nonetheless.

There is no need for settling. No decisions to be made, no consideration to be had. Though I can accept that my taste very well may further develop an appreciation for other things, I know who I am.

The Ferragamos are my shoes.

Jackie is my bag.

Red is my color.

I am going to do it my way, just as well, always and forever.

What do all of these things have in common? I dare you to take a wild guess.

Me!!!

I have said this before on my blog, and I will be there to tell you whenever you need to hear it again.

IF YOU KNOW WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL THE MOST YOU, AND YOU FIND THE THINGS THAT BRING IT OUT IN YOU, WHY WOULD YOU NOT PURSUE THAT? 

I want to pursue the things that make me feel the most me, every single day. It is the one thing that you can choose in order to make it one step closer to achieving whatever excellence you seek for yourself.

So go out there, wear red, be a night owl, choose your dessert wisely, and be unapologetically YOU!

XOXO,

Bentley