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Tuesday, December 6, 2016

What Happened When I Bought My Sister a Fiona PEZ Dispenser…

What Happened When I Bought My Sister a Fiona PEZ DispenserDecember is probably the one month of the entire year that has people scrambling for the perfect gift — for friends, for co-workers, for loved ones, for your neighbor who you really don’t know all that well, but you see each other every day at the dog park, so, you know. Translation: The pressure is really real, people! And all that pressure?? It’s got me thinking a lot lately about gifts and their deeper meanings. How do you know you’ve found the right gift for someone? What makes you look at something and go, “YES! This is most definitely it”? For me, I’m reminded of those questions every time I think back to what happened when I bought my sister a Fiona PEZ dispenser. The story goes something like this…

I don’t even remember when I bought the gift, but I know that it was years ago. In fact, I don’t even think it was for Christmas. I’m pretty obsessed with PEZ dispensers and actually sport quite an impressive collection and during one of my classic shopping trips one day, I spotted some Shrek dispensers. I snatched up two of them: Shrek himself and Fiona. I didn’t buy them with my sister in mind, but the more I thought about it, the more it fit and seemed like fate was somehow stepping in. She’d been struggling and having a hard time in those days and my heart just broke for her. Granted, I knew I couldn’t make all her problems disappear, but I did know that I wanted to do something — anything — to lift some of that darkness, even if it was only a little bit.

So I added the Shrek dispenser to my collection and gave her Fiona. It may have been a small gesture, but the meaning behind it was anything but tiny.

“I want you to think about something every single time you look at Fiona,” I told her. “I want you to think about the moral of the movie. It doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside or how people see you because what’s inside? That’s who you are. That’s your true soul. And that’s what is important. None of that other stuff matters. You are loved — so much more than you’ll ever know.”

Today, all these years later, that PEZ dispenser still sits on the bookcase in her bedroom; Fiona has become a fixture and continues to watch over her, and I like to think that it has something to do with the meaning behind my gift. Small. Simple. Incredibly powerful.

And, when I took this picture, I noticed the poignant framed quote beside it…

Be not afraid of going slowly

Be afraid only of standing still

The lesson here, friends: Never underestimate the power of a gift, no matter how small. That PEZ dispenser couldn’t have cost more than $3 and yet it meant more than any million-dollar diamond ever could. As the old saying goes, “It’s the thought that counts” and I fully believe that. So go forth and give with all your heart this holiday season. It just might mean more than you’ll ever know… xoxo

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: family, Janelle, sisterhood, sisters

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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]

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Leave a Comment Filed Under: childhood week, family, sisterhood, sisters, Uncategorized

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Steals For Sisters

A motivation pen set, so she always knows that you believe in her, $14.95

Bob Dylan All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, even though you’ve never quite understood her obsession with the harmonica man, $27.78

A super-insulated water bottle since she’s always on the go, $35

A comfy, cozy pair of slippers because you have a tradition of getting her a new pair every year, $29.99

This tube-wringer because it’s cool and, well, OBVIOUSLY, $24.95

Personalized moon phase charm necklace because you love her to the moon and back (times infinity!), $41.75

A cheeky iPhone case to match her equally cheeky personality, $40

Cookie of the Month Club subscription from New York’s Mah ze Dahr Bakery because, c’mon, everyone looooves sweets, $50

Seinfeld enamel pins in honor of all the hours you spent together watching the show about nothing, $8

A special blend from The Bathory, which lets you create your own soothing bath mix that’s delivered right to your door, $30. Sunday nights just got a whole lot better!

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3 Comments Filed Under: gift guide, gifts for women, Holiday gift guide, Holiday gift guide 2015, holidays, holidays 2015, holidays on a budget, round-up, Shopping, sisterhood, sisters, Uncategorized

Friday, October 16, 2015

Dear Janelle: On Your 30th Birthday!

Dear Janelle:

I know you get “embarrassed” when I blog about you, but since I’m your older sister, it’s sort of my responsibility to toot my own horn about you on your birthday. I’m just doing my job. I can’t help it that you make the bragging part so easy!

But, as birthday gift to you, I will make this short and sweet. It’s your 30th birthday, a milestone in which you instinctively want to look to the past. At all the mistakes you thought you made. At all the times you didn’t feel like you quite measured up. At all the things you wish you could do over.

Well, as your big sis (I’ve got four extra years of life knowledge, remember, so I know what I’m talking about!), I’m here to tell you this simple truth: None of it matters. I don’t want you to look back today because where you are right now? My gosh, you’ve come so far. I just want you to see that and to see yourself for who you really are — one heck of an amazing woman!

And, really, if I’m being honest, I should be the one who looks up to you. I just want to bottle up your grace and wisdom and spirit because that is what life is all about. So please love yourself — today and always. You know I’ll always love you and will be here for you always. I love you, Sister Bear… xoxo

P.S. More Janelle love: Her 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th and 29th birthdays.

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1 Comment Filed Under: Awesome Advice, birthday, Breakup/Love Letters, Dear Janelle, family, family photos, Janelle, siblings, sisterhood, sisters, Uncategorized

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Wise Words From Readers: On sibling memories…

With Janelle’s birthday last week, I really got to thinking more about the power of our siblings. We’ve talked lots of times about siblings before, but if you think about it, a brother or sister can be many things: A best friend, an enemy, a co-conspirator, a confidant. And most importantly, when you’re young, a sibling is usually that person you go on tons of adventures with, and it’s these adventures that give us lasting memories come adulthood. A few of you had some awesome stories of your own…

*Disney World as kids! One of my brothers is a fireman, and I could not be more proud of him following in our Grandpa’s footsteps. I admire his caring spirit and love for his community (my hometown). My other brother is the light-hearted, comic of the family! His sense of humor is epic. He is the baby of the family and truly completes our family.

*My favorite memory with my sister was staying up all night playing gin and eating mac and cheese while Jewel played on repeat in the background.

Ahhh!! So many wonderful memories! For me, the one that sticks out in my mind is when Janelle and I took the same Spanish class in college. It was fun and pretty hilarious to be in the same class. And of course, there was some friendly competition going on because, really, who isn’t at least a little competitive with their siblings? We both ended up with an “A” in the class, but Janelle got a higher “A.” She always has been the smarter sibling. Anyway, here’s next week’s question…

What do you love about Halloween? What was your favorite costume growing up and why?



Visit So About What I Said on Facebook and Twitter to share your smarts — and don’t forget to use hashtag #WiseWordsFromReaders. See you there, friends! 🙂

[Photos via We Heart It]

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1 Comment Filed Under: Awesome Advice, babies, childhood week, Entertainment and Media, family, siblings, sisterhood, sisters, Uncategorized, Wise Words From Readers, Wise Words From Readers series

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So About What I Said is a daily blog that covers relationships, disabilities, lifestyle and pop culture. I love to laugh and have been known to overshare. I also have an unabashed obsession with pop music, polo shirts, and PEZ dispensers. Read more...

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