Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Celebrating a Life of Curves

When I celebrate curves it means more to me than being a plus size woman. I also celebrate the curves that life throws in my direction. I've been thinking about my life in terms of plans made and actual accomplishments. While I haven't always done the things that I set out to do I am often surprised and amazed by what has actually happened.

I am happy with my life and the things that I have done. I'm proud that I set-out to see the world and I have done quite a lot of traveling. I am proud of this website and the community that we are building. Often I think that where I am now is so much better than anything I imagined even though it’s very different than where I thought I was going.

You may have noticed that in the right-hand column I have a link to the website for the movie The Secret. As I was watching it for the first time about a year ago I thought to myself several times how much I agreed with what the teachers were saying and that their viewpoints were very much my own but that I had never bothered to articulate my personal life philosophy, mostly because it seems such a horrific, self-aggrandizing, snooty thing to do….god forbid I should be caught articulating my “personal life philosophy.” And yet….the more my husband and I watch the movie The Secret the more we are changing the ways that we think about what we want and how to go about getting there.

Last night we were talking about money, or more accurately Jim starting talking about our monthly expenses, our credit card debt, our mortgages and variable interest rates and….this is about the time when I fade out and stop hearing anything that Jim is saying. I just wander out of the room muttering something about “needing a snack” leaving him in mid-sentence feeling abandoned and left to handle our money on his own. This can often turn into an ugly fight.

But last night I hung in there. I didn’t bail. I didn’t fade out (well not for more than a minute or two). I praised Jim for taking great care of us and keeping track of our finances. And you know what? He smiled, said thanks, and then changed the subject. All this time and he just wanted to know that I appreciated him. I was amazed. I thought that he really needed me to understand variable interest rates and all he wanted was to let me know that he understood variable interest rates.

You just never know where you’ll end up.

Four years ago I believed that I would never be married because I was firmly opposed to having a license for your relationship. Honestly, it still seems a barbaric practice to me but here I am a married woman and I can’t imagine not being married to this wonderful man.

Four years ago I thought that I would never speak to my father again, the rift between us too wide to overcome and yet, not long after I met Jim (three years nine months one week and three days but who’s counting?) my father had a stroke and we moved him into our little house.

I never thought I would stop working and stay at home, but I spent a year being my father’s caretaker and it was the sweetest time of my life.

When I was a teenager I was determined to be a full-time actress, but over time I realized that my true passion is writing fiction and so my mind’s stage is where I now spend my most creative time.

Ten years ago I thought I would never move out of New York City and now I love our little lake house so much that I would never give up growing tomatoes for any excitement that can be found in the City.

I celebrate every curve that life has to offer and I am really enjoying the ride!

Corinna Makris
“Live the Life you Love and Love the Life you Live.”

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great blog, and this entry is very moving. Especially like the paragraph on Jim and variable rate interest! Rock on.

P.F. Kozak said...

So glad to see you're writing! This is a great idea.

Blog on Baby!!!

P.F. Kozak

Corinna Makris said...

Thanks Wenzday. It feels good when a reader lets me know when something I've written has affected them. Keep coming back!

And thanks for the kind words p.f.

Corinna

Unknown said...

I'm just passing thru after you were kind enough to visit my page earlier today. I was struck by your post on how life changes on us and we simply have to be willing to adjust. What seems like a firm, unmovable conviction in our minds today can change tomorrow based on a new set of facts and circumstances. Anyhow, you sound like you have it together.

I look forward to my next foray into your celebration of life's curves!

peace, Villager

Sheena said...

Congratulation, Corinna, on a great blog. I enjoy your celebration of life as well as of curves -- all part of the same positive outlook. I especially like everything you write about travel.