Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Or So I've Been Told

Anyone out there remember that sunscreen song that was popular in the late ‘90’s? The one with all the little bits of advice for graduating seniors? There’s a line in there that says, “Remember the compliments you receive; forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.” Personally, I’ve never been very good at this. I remember insults forever. They hound me late at night when I’m lying in bed wondering what’s wrong with me. Voices from the past come humming back to me, reminding me of flaws I may have forgotten. Some particularly stand-out insults I’ve gotten:

  • “You’re getting fat – you shouldn’t eat that.”
  • “You’re such a loser!”
  • “Why would he want to go out with you?”
  • “You’re so boring! No one actually wants you around.”
  • “You’re always trying to be funny – you’re not funny.”
  • “You’re too selfish to ever change. You only care about yourself.”
  • “God, what a freak! How tall are you anyway?”
  • “No one in their right mind would ever love you.”

And yes, I have been told those things, to my face, in those exact words. Some of them more than once. Some of them at regular intervals for years at a time. And I remember them all – those and more.

But that’s pretty non-ideal, wouldn’t you agree? It’d be better to forget those, and focus on the positive comments. Because there have been positive comments, too. So even thought the insults come to mind with little or no effort whatsoever, I sat down and worked on remembering the compliments:

  • “You sparkle. When you walk into a room, it’s just like… everyone sees you.”
  • “I have learned so much from you, from your strength.”
  • “You have such pretty eyes.”
  • “Hearing you sing, it makes my heart feel full.”
  • “You make me laugh. You make me happy.”
  • “I trust you.”
  • “You rock something fierce!”
  • “I love you. No matter what happens, I will love you forever.”

Maybe the scales are tipped more in my favor than I’m willing to admit to myself on those sleepless nights. Maybe – just maybe – I’m not as bad as I think.

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Day 6 of LaBloShoeMo: The Black Loafers

Okay, let’s get one thing straight: I took this picture because loafers deserve to be displayed with knee socks. I do NOT, however, actually wear them this way (except when I’m playing Naughty Schoolgirl, but that’s a story for another day). I have only ever worn these with long pants, usually jeans, and they’re a comfy alternative to heels for my professional wardrobe.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lara,

Be forewarned. All of your pictures of your shoes are attracting the crazy foot-fetish peeps to your Blog. Soon, there will be many a comment asking to see you touch your toes and say "This little piggy went to the market..."

Be warned!!!

Your always,

OP

Anonymous said...

Lara,

You have SUCH HOT FEET! I want to eat your feet fondue-style by dipping your toes in Spanish hot chocolate or melting Craft singles cheese. Could you dress them up as little characters by drawing faces on them and covering the tips with little Amish hats and bonnets? Then, could you make them sing a song?

That would SO turn me on.

Your foot admirer,

Foot Admirer

Anonymous said...

HOLY SHIT!

I TOTALLY CALLED THAT LAST COMMENT!!!

DID I NOT JUST CALL THAT!?!

WHAT!?! WHAT!?!

Anonymous said...

Dear Lara,

Feet are gross. Please stop showing them. Foot Admirer is a disgusting person, and I think he should be arrested for liking feet so much. Also, for liking Amish hats and bonnets.

That is all.

Anonymous said...

Haha.

Very sexy. :P

Laughing my butt off at your commenters, though!

Dallas Blue said...

i bet whoever called you freakishly tall doesn't have legs like you do.

seriously.

Anonymous said...

Hmm... OP, feet R yucky, and especially Foot Admirer may want to check out this article from today's San Francisco Chronicle.

link to SF Chronicle

=D

Anonymous said...

More things I never knew...and more recordings in your head we will work to erase. NONE of those insults are true and there are so many more wonderful things about you than just what you wrote. Yes, I'm biased, but why not? I was lucky enough to have you.

Lara said...

OP - ooh, thanks for the warning! i'll be careful...

foot admirer - AAAAHHH! who ARE you? go away, creepy person!

OP - omg, you DID call that! and it happened within minutes of when you called it! however did you know that would happen! it's almost like you had insider knowledge somehow! remarkable...

feet R yucky - i agree about foot admirer. mostly for the amish hats and bonnets thing.

aly - yeah, my commenters were a little slap-happy from staying up too late doing schoolwork. i'm glad you found them amusing. :)

sassy - hmmm... i'm pretty sure that's true. though i'll admit it didn't make me feel less freakish at the time. :-P

tali - ha! yeah, so foot admirer - get outta here before you get arrested!

mom - awww... my mom, my hero. :)