Life Is What You Make Of It

Complainers change their complaints, but they never reduce the amount of time spent in complaining.
– Mason Cooley

My friends will all tell you that I’m an insufferable optimist. Everythin’ always has a cheery side, a silver linin’, or a blessin’ in disguise. “Everythin’ will work out the way it’s supposed to,” is what I tell myself and my friends every time one of us hits a bump in the road. “Everythin’ happens for a reason.” Consequently, there’s one thing in the world that gets under my skin more than anythin’ else, and that’s people that complain.

“My hair’s so flat today!” – Use more hairspray.

“Ugh, I’m so fat!” – Eat less, run more.

“I can’t believe that she got chosen over me for that job.” – Push yourself harder to be more marketable for the next one.

“Why did he decide to date her?! I mean, come on.” – He’s obviously not your Mr. Right, so don’t settle for less.

“My life just sucks right now.” – You’re alive, healthy, and livin’ in America. You’re better off than most people in the world.

I know, I know, here I am being the hypocrite complaining about complainers. But honestly y’all, life is what you make of it. You have the power to change every situation. You don’t like how someone treats you? Let them know that you expect and deserve respect. You don’t wanna be the worst at something? Try, try, try again. Take lessons. Ask questions. You don’t agree with a policy or decision? Stand up. Speak out. Make an argument and prove the world wrong.

I love y’all, all my fellow Gen Y-ers, but we need to step up to the plate. Too many of us are content to sit back and complain about our lives, but not do anythin’ about it to fix things. Each of us has the power to change any situation we don’t like, and we have a duty to ourselves to do just that. So come on, y’all, let’s get it together and look on the bright side of life instead of becoming the victim in the movie of our lives. If life is what you make of it, why should we settle for less than awesome? Just a thought =]

xoxo

     Belle of the Law

 

My (Not So) Strange Addiction

American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers.

–       William Somerset Maugham

If you don’t know already, my Twitter account, @BelleoftheLaw, was suspended this week. I got a little too excited about the #ThingsImGuiltyOf trend, and now I’m payin’ for all those now-named crimes. I was gonna talk about bein’ in Twitter Jail for this week’s post, but, in light of recent events in my life, I’ve changed my mind. Instead I’m musin’ ‘bout my favorite topic (and that of my fellow belles): GENTS!

Please, stop the eye roll; y’all know that the topic of gents never gets old. They’re terrible, wonderful, devils, angels, gross, delicious, and drive us wild in good ways and bad. I for one can honestly say that I’m addicted to them.

There’s just somethin’ ‘bout gents that makes my heart feel like butter meltin’ down warm toast. One look ‘n’ a smile from a well dressed, well-groomed man and I’m done for. Add on a dash of confidence and someone better find me a preacher man. Well that may be a slight overstatement… but only just. 😉

And when I think about it, gents are the reason for so many of the things that I do. Let’s think about it, belles. How many of us would shave regularly if there weren’t gents in the world? From talkin’ to my friends that went to all-girls high schools, I’d say not many of us. We’d let our hair, nails, clothes, and overall presentation get lax (as all my sources can attest to doing). Goodness, wouldn’t the world be a sorry lookin’ place then?!

Gentlemen, on behalf of the greater belle community I’d like to thank y’all. First, I’d like to thank y’all for existing in the first place. You’re the reason we get up in the mornin’ and make sure we look just so before walkin’ outta the door. And I’m sure that no matter how much you complain to us about takin’ so long, you appreciate the end result. Second, thank y’all for doing the same. We’re glad that (most of) you know that sweats have a time and a place (and that it’s not 24/7).

Finally, thank y’all for keepin’ our fairy tale dreams alive. If there wasn’t any truth to them at all, the legend would have died out by now. There’s a reason why we all dream of Prince Charmin’ and it’s because all y’all gents do things every day (big and small) that make us firm believers that chivalry is not, and never will be, dead.

It’s been said time and time again that we can’t live without men and we can’t live with ‘em either. That may be true, but gents are a different story. Gents are a refined class of the male species: one that respects and reveres the female species as we are meant to be. Bein’ a gentleman isn’t a title to be handed out frivolously. Bein’ a gentleman is a mindset, an overarchin’ theme to everythin’ a man does and says. It’s the embodiment of that perfection that we American belles have come to long for and expect accordin’ to Maugham. It’s just plain addictin’.

xoxo

     Belle of the Law

 

P.S. Don’t forget to follow the Twitter if you don’t already! (@belle_ofthe_law)

Belle Essentials

“A southern girl is a girl who knows full and well that she can open a door for herself but prefers for the gentleman to do it because it demonstrates a sense of respect. After all, every girl wants to be treated like a princess. We know how to make sweet tea and grits while telling you everything about any football team in the SEC. We pick our battles and fight with the heart of a pit bull while still maintaining grace and elegance. Our mystique is that of a soft-spoken, mild-mannered southern belle who could direct an army, loves her momma and will always be daddy’s little girl.” ~ Anonymous 

Hey, y’all! Welcome to my inaugural blog post! As the name denotes, this will be a place where I talk about life from my strictly southern point of view. With that bein’ the case I wanted to start of with some background. After all, there’s a lot of talk about bein’ southern these days (let me tell you from experience there’s nothing better), but how are we different from them Yanks?

1. Football. If I say “Bear,” you should say “Bryant,” not “Grizzly” or “You mean Chicago?”.

2. Tea. There’s only one kind. If it ain’t sweet, it ain’t really tea.

3. Liquor. If your adult beverages are clear, there’s a problem. There’s only four kinds of things worth drinkin’: beer, bourbon, whiskey, and tequila. Beer is for sporting events (other than Derby). Bourbon is for everyday sippin’. Whiskey is for the days you want a switch-up from bourbon (so hardly ever). And tequila is for Margarita Mondays out with the girls.

4. Manners. Everyone deserves to be a honey, sugar, darlin’, or dear. Belles should not (and do not where I’m from) open doors, pay for anything, pull out their own chairs, or hold their own umbrellas. We get dropped off at the door. Gents, get up and give a belle your seat on the metro (if you’re in a sad urban place that requires mass public transportation). My mama bore me and my daddy raised me, so if you wanna stick around past “hello,” you better greet them with a “Ma’am” and a “Sir.”

5. Class. Yanks are so tacky. If they don’t like you, it’s all over their face all the blessed time. Down in Dixie we know how to put on a smile, shake your hand, and ask about the family (and really mean it when we say we’re glad they’re doin’ well). Sure, we may be wishin’ you’d just go on to hell already inside, but there ain’t no need to bring down the neighbors too. Life’s too short to be hateful, so let’s make the best of it and move on. Jesus is gonna judge us all in the end anyways. No need to waste our time doin’ his job for him.

All in all, Yanks are just cut from a different cloth. They like to live in dirty, tiny, crowded places and are always in a foul mood. They force themselves to endue freezing temperatures for 2/3 of the year and don’t even have a yard to put that snow to good use. They may think we’re stupid ’cause we talk slow and have a twang, but the fact of the matter is that we just know how to enjoy life. We got Jesus, family, friends, and our southern pride, and honey that’s all we need.

xoxo

     Belle of the Law

 

P.S. Don’t forget to follow the Twitter if you don’t already! (@belle_ofthe_law)