I have this one friend. Everybody likes her. Because she just is. Herself. Consistently. Surely. Wholeheartedly. Self assuredly.

She wears her heart, soul and whole self on her sleeve. She tells it exactly like it is. Straight up, no bullshit.

She knows what she wears, despite what magazines and everyone else around her says she should.

What you see is what you get. There’s no false advertising, no promises of something she’s not. She does as she pleases and makes no excuse for it.

She loves what and who she loves. Because she does. Not because anyone or anything else told her to.

She told me the other day that her friend bought her “the perfect gift.” Truth is, she is the easiest person to buy for. Everyone knows the things that inspire her, captivate her, keep her life light burning. She is so sure of who she is, what she stands for and where she’s going, there never seems to be a doubt or a question. Never a Who? Why? What? When? How?

She doesn’t get hung up on other people’s opinions of her, that’s their concern, not hers.

If you love her she’ll return your love with her all. You’ll laugh. Hard. Eat, drink, adventure, live; best of companions travelling through this life.

And if you don’t love her. Don’t. It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have the time or energy to concern herself with that. She’ll never be rude to you or nasty. She’s so busy living her passion, celebrating with friends, that it won’t worry her.

Just as not everyone likes tomato sauce, neither does everyone love her. But its all good, she knows tomato sauce rocks, she knows it’s loved by an enormously diverse and loyal following. She doesn’t hate those who prefer BBQ. She lives and breathes tomato, she knows that’s who she is, daily splattering deliciously red goodness into all the lives of those who love, tomato sauce.

This girl lives and shines brightly in our lives, so unapologetically herself, take it or leave it. Do or don’t.

Whoever you are. At home. In the shower. Deep down in your soul. Be that. Weather you’re the tomato, the mayo, the BBQ, the peanut butter or the soy sauce. Be it, live it, breathe it. Be the best you can, giving back so fully and wholly to those who love YOU, for YOU. Stop trying to be it all, because you know what? When you’re trying to mix everything in, tomato and a bit of BBQ, a dash of soy and a chunk of peanut butter….I’m sorry to say, not many people like it. It’s too confusing and inconsistent, people can’t depend on knowing what they’re
gonna get. They just want the ever reliable, tasty, consistent YOU.

To my friend. Thankyou for being you. For inspiring me to be, so assuredly and unapologetically, me. Xo

“The older I get, the less I care about what other people think of me. Therefore the older I get, the more I enjoy life.” -unknown