Beautiful Words From Roald Dahl on His 100th Birthday

Roald Dahl had one of those creative minds — the kind that helped him pen such imaginative classics as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. He certainly had a way with words, that’s for sure, and his words just seem to ring true.

Take his wise words from The Twits, for example…

“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it.

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

Although published for the first time in 1980, these words still mean as much — if not more — today as they did 36 years ago. The world can be quite an ugly place, full of hatred and jealousy and just general meanness, and just because people can act downright cruel at times doesn’t mean that we have to return the gesture. We can choose to keep our heads held high and we can choose to be kind. We don’t have to let others’ bad attitudes — their ‘ugliness’ — consume us as well. We have the power to choose our own thoughts. And we can let those thoughts be good and beautiful.

It’s all about killing them with kindness, right?? After all, the world can be a pretty dark place. Don’t you want to be the shining light among the darkness? xoxo

P.S. Remember these adorable Roald Dahl postage stamps? 🙂

[Photo via We Heart It]

An Ode To Willy Wonka

We all remember when we saw Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory for the first time. The candy-coated world was the perfect playground for our childhood, full of excitement at every turn and an everlasting supply of Everlasting Gobstoppers.

I couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7 when I was introduced to that wonderful world. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before, and I immediately identified with Charlie Bucket. He was innocent, wide-eyed and curious about the world around him. I remember watching The Candyman scene on repeat as a gigantic smile formed across my face. There’s never been a movie character as happy as Charlie when he won that golden ticket and the life-changing tour of Willy Wonka’s factory. Charlie loved life and he loved his family, and in turn, we all loved him for that. He represented all the happiness in our little souls. A few of my favorite Wonka-isms…

–“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.”

–“So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you.”

–“So shines a good deed in a weary world.”

–“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it. Anything you want to, do it; want to change the world… there’s nothing to it.”

–“There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you’ll be free if you truly wish to be.”

So I was heartbroken over Gene Wilder’s death this week. The man who brought Mr. Wonka to life was a larger-than-life figure to a generation, bringing both adults and children such joy and happy memories. With him, anything was possible, any dream attainable and every star reachable.

Thank you, Mr. Wilder, for all the wonderful memories! You truly were one of a kind.


Were you obsessed with Willy Wonka as a kid? Did you have a favorite character? And, doesn’t the film just take you back to your childhood…every single time??? xoxo

Tuesday Tunes: Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”

Editor’s Note: Song lyrics denoted in bold italics.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I entered young adulthood at the dawn of the new Millennium. Things were changing big time and I was growing up. Everything seemed new, like you were doing it for the first time, and the novelty hadn’t worn off yet or even smudged. There was a palpable freshness in the air; you couldn’t help but feel like anything was possible. Simply put, it was quite an exciting time to be alive. Full of hope and promise of great things to come.

Yes, I know that last paragraph read like a high school graduation speech, but I suppose that’s only appropriate. I mean, I did graduate high school in 2000 (sounds like a lifetime ago now, doesn’t it?) and you really can’t get more new-beginning than that. And back then, when I’d think of new beginnings, there was always one anthem that came to mind. I say anthem because I can just picture it blaring over the speakers in an arena during a rock concert. That, or blaring over the CD player as I sing along and do my fiercest poses in front of the mirror. I vote for the latter.

Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”
From Crush

Maybe that’s why I thought of this song as I was working on the back-to-school post yesterday. Of course, there were SO MANY killer Bon Jovi tunes to choose from, but this one spoke to a new generation — my generation — so it sort of felt like a theme song for the masses, you know?

This ain’t a song for the broken-hearted
No silent prayer for the faith-departed
I ain’t gonna be just a face in the crowd
You’re gonna hear my voice
When I shout it out loud

Youth is nothing if not a time for feeling lost and confused. You’re having all these new experiences and just trying to find meaning and purpose in life. It’s hard, isn’t it? And you think that things are NEVER going to get any easier; you might even think you’ll never find your way. So you end up wandering around searching for those answers and sometimes, even before you arrive at any kind of conclusion, you realize something else. You’re a young adult. This life you’re living?

IT’S YOURS!!!

I know, it can be quite the shocking revelation when it hits you that first time. Sort of like a bolt of lightning or a giant light bulb going off over your head. That’s how it was for me, at least. And of course, you’re determined to make your voice heard. Loud and clear. To anyone and everyone in your life. Not in an evil or malicious way — just in a way that lets people know who you are. Because you’re starting to see that your voice is a powerful thing and you’re going to own it.

It’s my life
It’s now or never
I ain’t gonna live forever
I just want to live while I’m alive
(It’s my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I’m alive
It’s my life

People say that there’s a sense of invincibility that comes with being young, but I also think there’s a certain sense of urgency that goes along with it. It’s the first time you’re really realizing that your life is finite, that you’re not going to live forever and that it’s what you do with your life that matters the most. You may not know everything, but you know that you want your life to mean something. You want to live it to the fullest, to live it on your terms. But perhaps most of all, you don’t want anything to stand in your way. Ever.

This is for the ones who stood their ground
For Tommy and Gina who never backed down
Tomorrow’s getting harder make no mistake
Luck ain’t even lucky
Got to make your own breaks

Stand your ground? What does that even mean? I do wonder about that sometimes, and the older I get, the more I think it’s all about tuning out that excess noise. It’s not letting people get inside your head — especially the ones that don’t matter. It’s about not believing what people say about you, even though you’re struggling to just shrug off those cruel and hurtful words. It’s about not giving into those inner demons that are all sorts of hell-bent on destroying you — but you’re determined not to let them, though. Most importantly, it’s about BEING WHO YOU ARE and not being afraid to show your true colors to the entire world.

This life is hard. Really hard. There’s just no way around it. But that certainly doesn’t mean that this life can’t be beautiful and that you shouldn’t shine your light for all to see. After all, remember what I always say?? #BeBraveBeYou

The Power of Childhood Imagination…

When my sister and I were teenagers living in the ho-hum of the Midwest, we invented a fictional character to add a small ounce of excitement to our lives. His name was Jack Sally.

His story: He was rugged and reckless and on the run from the CIA and The Pentagon for divulging certain information to the wrong people.

For the next couple years, we’d write ‘anonymous‘ letters to each other, supposedly penned by Jack Sally himself. He told us of his plight hiding underground to escape persecution, how he was a wanted man and how we must never speak of his existence…or else.

In fact, we became so enamored with Mr. Sally that we even started ‘looking’ for him ourselves: in malls, on Google, but mostly in hotel phone books.

It was our mission to save Sally from the evil clutches of The Man.

Well, that’s how we saw it anyway. It was a bit odd for a couple of teenage girls, but it was fun.

A cute little diversion to keep us smiling, and I often wonder now: Are we, as ‘adults,’ forced to give up our imaginary friends once we come of age?

What’s the harm in keeping the fun alive a little longer?

Janelle and I don’t have an exact recollection of how Jack Sally came about because it seemed like he’d always been a part of our lives. Janelle has always been the more artistic, creative one, so I suppose I’ll give her credit where credit is due.

But he’d show up one day in the form of a harmless note tapped to the fridge or left on the edge of a dresser, His words spoke of freedom. He was on a quest to seek justice for himself, and each note provided cryptic clues to his whereabouts; but, as he assured us, the tyranny of government would never squelch his spirit.

We could never quite decipher what exactly he was trying to tell us, but to our young eyes, it was better than the most beautiful of poems and far more exciting than any action movie we’d ever seen!

Those words rang as sweet elixir to our unformed, impressionable minds. Before long, even our parents were screaming SOS — Save Our Sally.

It had truly become a family affair, albeit a bit of an odd one, but then again, my sister and I had always been a bit quirky. It worked for us.

It’s rare that sisters have something of that nature that they can share with each other, so when we found that rare opportunity, we held tight to it. We laughed together. We searched hundreds (maybe thousands?!?!?!) of telephone books together. And of course, we remained ever mystified together.

We, sadly, haven’t heard from Jack Sally for years now. His letters continually got shorter, and he, sadly, stopped making an ‘appearance’ in our lives.

This greatly disheartens me. He’s just vanished, which brings me to my point. Just because something is socially deemed for kids only doesn’t mean you have to follow those rules. In my book, rules are made to be broken, and if that means keeping Jack Sally in my life, well then that’s just a risk I’ll have to take. Oh, and on that note, I’m probably taking a very big risk even speaking of him in this post.

Whether you’re special childhood friend was a scarecrow or a hippo or even a dinosaur, I encourage you to take a step back in time to those carefree days. Remember that comforting feeling, that sense that nothing mattered but having fun and having a tea party with your stuffed giraffe who walked 1000 miles just go arrive at your doorstep. Welcome him (or her) again with open arms.

P.S. Jack Sally, if you’re reading this, please come back. There are still people out there in this big, bad world who need you!

[Photos via We Heart It]

Tuesday Tunes: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”

Editor’s Note: Song lyrics denoted in bold italics.


Summertime always makes me think about summers long ago, especially all the family vacations we used to take. All this reminiscing, though? It can sometimes really get to me, and it’s times like these, during the end of the summer, when all those memories really kick in.

Of course, there’s one vacation that stands out in my mind — well, I suppose it’s more of a destination, really. It stood as my own version of Disneyland because for us, it really was the happiest place on earth. And magical and carefree and the perfect place to spend my childhood summers.

Alabama…

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”
From One More From The Road

It did feel like a sweet home, indeed. With my grandparents, spending days just relaxing — it was back in those before life got complicated and moved faster than a roller coaster. I didn’t know it at the time, naturally, but those days really had a hand in helping me become the person I am today.

Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the south-land
I miss ‘ole’ ‘bamy once again
And I think it’s a sin, yes

Although I technically didn’t “grow up” in the South, I still feel like a part of me was raised there. Even driving down there was exciting — we’d see the landscape slowly begin to change and our would begin to beat just a little faster. We may have been miles and miles from home, but we were also going home. In a sense, going South was like going home. It was a place where I felt so comfortable and all my worries seemed to vanish instantly. And, yes, we also sang “Dixie” numerous times during those car rides.

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

I know this all sounds like one giant walk through the poppies a la The Wizard of Oz and maybe it’s true that we do tend to romanticize the past, especially our childhoods, but this was really how everything felt. The skies really were an brilliantly deep shade of blue and the trees stood tall, green and majestic against that extra-blue sky. Even though I haven’t been there in almost a decade, I can still see those trees and that sky — with picture-perfect clarity. The way it all looked. The way it smelled, especially after the rain. Even the way the trees swayed in the breeze. It’s all part of those memories in my head that I like to revisit so often.

Because like most things in life, time moves far too fast and those special, life-defining moments can be all too short and fleeting. So we try as hard as we can to hold onto the memories we make because in the end, that’s really all we have. We’d better cherish them, right?? xoxo