First Things First

First things first, after the three post hiatus of costumes and rocker chic outfits, here I am back in my corporate attire also known as my uniform and I am incorporating my two favorite colors: powder blue and powder pink. The colors I have been wearing have mostly been muted (nothing to glaring or bright) as I feel I am at that point in my life where I am calm, serene and prefer not much noise and theatrics. I wore this on a Hmmph-day Wednesday where I also had a great (yet very long) lunch over at Wild Flour which was always fulfilling. Everyone always inquires what my favorite cuisine is and my automatic answer is: Comfort Food as I have decided that deserves it own food subgroup. Actually, I rarely do lunch out on weekdays and prefer to eat packed lunch in the office which is why it surprised me when I saw how much people were there (the restaurant was packed and there was a waiting line) to eat lunch out. I know it may not exactly be a big deal to anyone at all but since I am in this new stage in my life by working in our foundation, I choose to see the world with fresh eyes and a child like curiosity- things as mundane as these actually fascinate me. Call it crazy but I think it's important to see the beauty in even the most simple matters and also to still be amazed over little things.

Zippered Pink Jacket: Zara

White with Pinstriped Blue Shift Dress: Altuzarra x Target

Piggy Pink Nightingale Bag: Givenchy

Pearl and Rhinestone Detachable Collar: Gold Couture

First Things First. A lot of us use this word in our daily lives especially when we are trying to make it a point. It is a common idiomatic expression that is used to assert that important matters should be dealt with before other things. I have heard it being said in meetings, when discussing an issue at hand or in a discourse, this is often uttered. However, I got to thinking, how much do we apply this in life? I think it is very important to assert to ourselves that there are certain things, roles and obligations that we have that should take precedence over others as they are more vital... not just for us but also for others. I used to think that the first and most important thing I had to do was "be me" and do everything the way I wanted to do it. That wasn't wrong at all but it was quite self-indulgent and as with any indulgence, it is actually more of a distraction than something to learn from. It made things blurry because everything was on my terms and I chose not to care about how it affected everything else around me. When I realized the things I was concerning myself with weren't as important as I played them in my head to be, I had to regroup and realign myself. It was only through doing something so fulfilling and for the service of others, with my personal advocacy in education, that I was able to know myself and know that this was what I was supposed to be doing. This was my first thing first. Once I realized that and accepted that as my reality, everything made sense and now that I am aligned and am loving the view from where I am standing, I can see clearly now. Sometimes, you have to look past yourself to get the alignment you need. Hopefully, you've already found it. If you haven't, it's time to take a step back and ask what you "first things first" is.

xx, JL