Be Inspired by Miss Stone

In Primary school, my friends and I would sit around during our lunch breaks and dream about the future. We would talk about what we wanted to be when we grow up. One would dream of being a Scientist, the other a Nurse, while one would want to be a Doctor or an Accountant. Every day our careers would change though, as our interests changed. One day I wanted to be a Psychologist, the next a Veterinarian. As I got to high school, I was pretty sure what I wanted to be. So were my friends. We had experienced things and learned so much. All this steered our paths towards who we wanted to become. When I was 16, I met someone who would be in my life for a very long time. Someone who would change my life for the better. Someone who would show me that reaching my goals and living my dream was not far fetched at all. Someone who would show me that we could do anything we set our minds too. Someone who would show me that we could be anyone we wanted to be. She was a year ol...

Today I am inspired by the non-conformists. The misfits. The ones who are different. Growing up, I was always told that I am different. Different did not seem like it could mean anything good, so I always assumed it was something bad. Something not 'normal'. So, was it abnormal then? I certainly thought so. Everything and everyone around me made it seem like it was. Hearing things like 'Jy wil altyd anders wees' (You always want to be different) or having other girls laugh at me because of the way I dressed became a norm. It did not make me think less about it though. One day I was walking to the store and a group of girls starting pointing in my direction. Before I could even ask them what the problem was, they burst out laughing and asked me what I was wearing. I could not even answer them, I just made sure I walked straight home. Now the pants I had on were those that weren't long and they weren'...

A picture is worth a thousand words... How many times have we heard this saying? I am sure most of us have lost count. Although it sounds cliche, it is true. A picture does tell a story that is hard to put into words. Sometimes not even a thousand words can tell us what a picture does. Today, my inspiration came from a very good friend of mine. Until yesterday, I never knew he was a high school drop out. How could I have known this? He exudes confidence. He is one of the most intelligent people I know. He works as hard as ten people do in any given day.  Coming from a wealthy family, he dropped out of school in Grade 10 and to make money, he worked as a waiter.  This was followed by a brief stint as a security guard. One day to be exact :) He then started working for a packaging comany, before the lure of crime and more money drew him away from this job. He drifted away from the friends he knew and the good p...

I have been receiving a lot of messages from men, asking me if this blog is for women only. This blog is not only for women. I realize that my posts have been directed at women, but that was not intentional. The things I write about comes from things I see, things I hear, things I feel. But today, I do have something for the men... This past weekend, I saw a lot of men who some may call role models.  Now these men were not politicians, or multi-millionnaires, they were not saints or priests, they were not without fault. They were, however, special. They were neighbours, cutting the grass on a Saturday morning, making sure they take care of home. They were fathers, playing soccer with their sons, making sure they were the reason for the smiles on their sons faces.  They were kings, making sure their little princesses know what love is, even before they know what romance is. They were brothers, looking out for their sisters, making sure they had someone t...

I was having a hard time trying to decide what today's post would be about. Then this thought popped into my head and now here I am, sharing it with you all. I've come to the conclusion that we as women do not always rise to the occasion. We, at times, dumb ourselves down, so that our male counterparts do not feel less masculine. We have degrees upon degrees, potential and passion. Yet, we still lurk in the shadows. We still allow others to shine. Why? Why do we do this? Growing up, we were taught that women had to know their place. This place usually meant pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen. This place usually meant raising the kids and making sure there was food on the table. This place usually meant taking care of everything and everyone in the home. It was as if the rules of the game had already been set out for us, all we had to do was follow them. But, for how long will we play this game before we get tired? For how long will we be happy with the rules set out for u...

What is the meaning of the word friend? Now,if you go to a dictionary or Google this word, you will get answers like 'a person who is attached to another by feelings of personal regard or affection' or 'a person who is on good terms with another, a person who is not hostile'. So in essence,a friend is the opposite of a foe. When I look back at past 'friendships',I realize that even in friendship,we have to kiss a few frogs first to get to the real deal. We have to experience the backstabbers and the naysayers before we find the true ones. Those backstabbers and naysayers are the ones who try and harm us and at times do,but only temporarily. They do however, show us what we deserve. By showing their ugliness, they open doors for others to show off their beauty. Two days ago, my friends and I all had a bad day. We had each fought our separate battles that day and came home feeling defeated. As soon as we entered our little chat room and shared our stories, it...

I survived day 1!!!! This was a long day. Waiting to hear what people think about my first post was nothing less than stressful. I am putting my heart and soul into this and it makes me happy when people appreciate what I do. I am sitting here with joy in my heart. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read 'I am my hair!!'.  You give me strength and courage to continue this journey. I will make sure that I make this blog something worth reading. I will inspire. And I ask for inspiration too. Tomorrow I will talk about the kind of inspiration we can all relate to, that of our friends. It will be an interesting post, I promise :) Good night all you beautiful people. Take care. Miss Stone

I am nervous and scared. Afraid that what I have to say may not be relevant to anyone. I am starting something new here and I am so excited about it,yet still so nervous. I am at the salon as I start writing this first post. I am inspired by the women who come in here. Women of all ages, shapes and sizes. Tall women, short women, dark skinned women, light skinned women. Women with braids and weaves, short and long hair. Women with black, brown, red and blonde hair. Women who come here with the hope of looking beautiful when they leave. And as they are subjected to countless washes, curlers, dryers and eventually the hairdresser's chair, they are transformed into the women they want to be. The warriors they are in their dreams. And as they leave the salon, they exude confidence. Confidence they never had when they walked in. They shine. From within. So I guess it is true. Your hair is your crowning glory. You do feel that you can move mountains with the right hairstyle. I shav...