Too Busy

Lately, I have noticed a lot of people posting on Facebook, "I am too busy to be sick."  (What does that even mean?  Isn't being sick your body's way of telling you to slow down?)  Last month, I was too busy to remember much of anything.  (Because that's healthy.)  Yet, being "too busy" has become a badge of honor we wear.  When we should be saying, "I am too busy.  I need to slow down, so my body and mind can rest, so I can reflect, so I can be," we are saying, "I am too busy for sleep, too busy for illness, too busy to spend time with my family, and too busy to take time for myself."  And we say it with pride.

It is as though our value comes from how busy we are.  If you are an attorney, you are SO busy at work.  If you are a stay at home mom, you are SO busy shuttling kids from school to soccer to dance.  We tell people how busy we are to demonstrate how important and useful we are.  And we praise each other for it, because the busier you are, the more important you must be.

I recently finished a book for my book club called Still Alice.  It is written from the point of view of a woman with early onset Alzheimer's disease.  It made me reflect on the societal value we put on being busy.  It made me reflect on my own need to be busy.  I wonder how our lives would be different if we started valuing NOT being busy.  If we praised spending the day in a hammock, instead of seeing it as a glutonous luxury.  If our children spent hours playing in the backyard with sticks, instead of being constantly entertained by one activity or another.  If our lives were about less, instead of more, more, more.  I wonder if we are really getting more out of our lives or if they are so full, we are getting less.

This is one of my themes for the year:  Doing less.  When you are trying to run a small business, trying to make a long distance relationship work, trying to give back to the community, trying to have meaningful relationships with friends and family, and trying to improve yourself as a person, it is easy for your life to get out of balance.  It is easy to be "too busy."  And it is even easier to keep doing, when you are praised for it.

I hope you all won't think less of me if I learn how to spend time sitting and doing nothing.  I hope you won't think I am lazy if I don't go to the office everyday.  I hope you won't think I don't care about the community if I don't join another board.  I hope you won't judge me if I am not so busy.  But if you do, that's okay, because I know to make my impact on the world, I need to allow enough time to see what that impact is.  When I am too busy, I can not see.

What were you too busy for today?

Image form:  http://gapingvoid.com/2006/02/23/too-busy/

Dang, I Love an Arm Party.

There are two trends I am currently obsessed with: neon and arm parties. Today, we will focus on the latter. (But how can I not tell you about these neon J. Crew Shorts... I have them in pink and feel like I need them in highlighter yellow. I mean, hello, Bon Lemon yellow. It is a business expense.)


Photo courtesy of Chicktopia.

Okay, okay. I digress. The Arm Party. Which, by the, way, has been trademarked by the Man Repeller. Side note: Trademarking cool sayings is lame. It makes me want to move to some rogue country just so people can live their lives knowing it is their responsibility not to fall off of a big cliff even if there isn't a guard rail and they can go around saying, "amazeballs arm party, amazeballs arm party, amazeballs arm party!" without fear of a lawsuit. But we will give credit to the uber talented, creative, and lawyered up Man Repeller for coining the term arm party. Dang, I love an arm party.


Photo courtesy of rushhourfashion.com

So what is an arm party? Urban Dictionary defines it as, " When somebody (usually/hopefully a girl) wears a bunch of different bracelets on the same arm, sometimes using many bright colors or different materials/metals is called an arm party. The more the merrier! I.e. that girl with the huge arm party thinks she's ke$ha, her bracelets weigh more than she does!"


Photo courtesy of mstwirlyskirt.com

Why do we love the arm party? Because it is a fashion trend that gives us an excuse to wear all of our accessories at once! I love Coco Chanel as much as the next gal, but the arm party throws her "take one accessory off when you leave the house" idea out on it's head. Instead, put one on!

So, you may be asking yourself: How do I get invited to the arm party? Follow these steps, grab a glass of something sparkling, and the arm party has begun!

1. First things first. We must build the foundation. Start with these fab crystal bangles. Sparkle goes with everything and is a great place to get the party started.



2. Next, add something thick to make your party work for day or evening. Our stingray bracelets are a steal and a layer of nature.



Or try one of these genuine snakeskin bracelets in any color. They bend to fit your wrist and are super on trend for Spring/Summer.



3. Now, you need a little metal to round out your look. This link bracelet is a staff favorite and goes with everything.



4. Last, but not least, add your own pop of color. (Add a couple colors and then you are REALLY hip.) This tropical coral bracelet is stretchy and comfy.



Or, for those of you who can't get enough sparkle, this is a great piece to add a little bit of subtle sparkle as well as some fresh color.



Can you hear the music? And see the beautiful people? You have arrived at the arm party. Feel free to add more bracelets from your personal collection. There are no rules. And there is definitely no such thing as too much.

For those of you who thought that was a lot of effort and just want it to be a little easier, come to our It's a Spring Thing... Party on April 27th to see our new line: little b. It is a locally designed, ready-made-arm party. Sets of 2, 3, or 5. No thinking involved. Throw them on and go. (And we love shopping local.)

What does YOUR arm party look like? Do you include a signature watch? Or, gasp, neon?


Photo courtesy of A Pair & A Spare

Check out our Arm Party Contest and post pics on Facebook to win swag.

I'm not the only one...

This one will hit a little close to home with some of my attorney friends.

Too funny!

Off to another trunk show. Enjoy!