Sheils Writes

Looking through some old photos for something inspiring to jump out at me to write about.  New York City always comes to mind.  So much energy, inspiration, so diverse, or quiet in Central Park, street vendors, smells of hot dogs, pretzels, so many shops.  I have plans of going back in November of this year for my 60th birthday.  Not much planned exactly, except going there.  I will figure the rest out when the time comes.

Anyways, the point was that I was looking back through some old photos I took there and this one jumped out today.  I took it in a thrift shop.  My focus was on the bright colors of the jacket.  However, after looking at it closer and with a different intention, I see the bright colored jacket but below it I see several leopard pattern vintage coats.  What I now see is the stand out of the bright colors to all the same coats right below it.  I am drawn to this image now for different reasons.  To be the standout in a sea of everything else that is the same.  To be the bright colored coat.

With aging, I notice I am starting to lean more into this part of life.  It’s a slow lean for me as I’ve always been the background character.  I’m glad that I’m coming more out of that role.  It’s happening naturally for me, not forced.  I don’t try to be the life of the party and I’m not by any means, but I’m getting more comfortable putting myself out there.  Just writing this post about these feelings surprises me.

Perhaps taking that photo 5 years ago, saving it for all this time, looking at it again today, maybe there was a deeper meaning for taking this.  Be bright, be bold, be different.  No one is really paying all that much attention to you.  Be that colorful 80’s jacket in a sea of leopard pattern vintage coats.  You might just like who you are becoming and for that I’m going to keep on doing what I love more than ever from here on out.