Have you ever put any thought into the area in which you live…
THE STORY
…The other day my bestie and I had a lunch date at a super cool little restaurant/coffee shop that opened in our area not too long ago. It has a really cool artsy vibe to it. It’s located in an area of town where there is an attempt being made to rejuvenate things with building upgrades, the addition of small businesses and some cool street art like the alley I featured on my Instagram on Tuesday. All of this sparked a discussion about where we live.
It’s not actually a small town in the way in which you envision a small town in your mind. It’s more like a long string of small towns sprinkled from one end of our local four lane highway (and I use that term loosely) to the other. The area that I referenced above is one of two of the most “citified” towns. Each of these towns is very, for lack of a better word, tight-knit. As in, if you aren’t from there you won’t necessarily fit in.
For example, the school district that I originally taught in years ago, looked down upon teachers who weren’t residents. It was even said once (and published in the local paper) at a school board meeting that they needed to start hiring more “hometown people” and fewer “outsiders”. I was always considered an outsider because I didn’t live there, but here’s the funny thing…my many greats-grandfather was one of the town founders. One of the town founders…but I never bothered to tell anyone that because if you are only going to accept me because of that and not because of who I am, I surely don’t need your acceptance.
The area that I now live in is actually the very same area in which I grew up. I’m not sure why I never left because I never really fit in. My family was always considered a “bad” family…troublemakers, hell raisers and such. Add to that the fact that I lived in one of our many trailer parks, and you can figure out how I was judged. I’m not really a big city kind of girl, although I am much more comfortable venturing into Pittsburgh since I’m down that way fairly often with our son, but I do crave more than what we have around here.
By more I mean not only cool restaurants and shops like I mentioned above, but more open-mindedness…and less judgement. I would estimate that probably 85% of the people who live in this area don’t realize (or perhaps don’t care) that there is a whole other world out there. A world full of different types of people, ideas and experiences that could enrich their lives. This is not an area where it’s okay to pray to a different god, speak a different language, dress differently, love differently, be opposed to the current government or have a skin tone that strays too far from the lighter end of the spectrum. See why I don’t fit in?
Even though I don’t fit the mold, I refuse to change who I am. I continue to voice my opinions, and I dress how I want which includes wearing my tee shirts that make my point of view clear. I’ve learned to ignore the judgement. I refuse to close my mind or close my heart just to fit in with the general population. It’s actually kind of sad because if people would simply attempt to open their minds and their hearts, even a little bit, their lives would be so much richer for it. I’m not romanticizing more urban areas; I realize that judgement and close mindedness exist everywhere, I just think that there is less of a proliferation of those things in more population dense areas. How about you? Tell me about where you live…
THE OUTFIT
I still have a few outfits left over from the end of the school year and this is one of them. Following the major heat wave towards the end of May when I was lamenting about being such a hot mess, we had a run of a few nice although cooler days. That would be when I wore this white ruffle front dress. And yes, I actually did need the jacket in the morning.
I own several white dresses; one of which for some reason has never made the blog or Instagram…how does that happen? I suppose it probably happened because while I know this might seem odd, I typically wear them in the Fall/Winter styled with something over or under them like I did here. Odd because one typically associates white dresses with Summer. The dress that has never made it’s debut has always been worn on what ended up being horrendous weather days.
There’s just something I love about the unexpectedness of a white dress (or jeans) with the darker heavier layers that come with the colder days of the year. That said, I also love this dress paired with my tan fringe ankle boots, the brown leather lariat necklace and denim. I guess what I’m saying is, no matter what the season, I like my white dresses grounded with more substantial pieces. Does that make sense?
Everything that I’m wearing today I’ve had for several years. The dress was picked up in Pittsburgh the first year that I went to Style Week; the boots I scored on clearance at JCPenney a couple of years ago and the denim jacket is from Express way back in the 90’s. The only thing I’m wearing that’s relatively new is the chiffon skirt extender layered underneath because as anyone who’s ever worn white knows, a second layer is usually a must unless sharing your girly bits with the world is something you like to do.
On a side note, I have a special little somethin’ for all of you wonderful ladies…remember when I shared my beautiful pieces from Boho Buffalo? Well, the lovely Emma-Jayne wanted me to share with you a code for FREE SHIPPING! Seriously, who doesn’t love free shipping? Enter code FairyDust at checkout…seriously, such a great deal! And you’re also supporting a woman who went after her dream while scoring some beautiful handmade bling for yourself. It doesn’t get better than that!
THE TIP
Wear white all year long. Forget the “rules” wear it with abandon, even if there’s two feet of snow on the ground. A white dress is just as pretty with strappy barely there sandals as it is with boots, whether they be ankle, mid-calf or over the knee.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Dress: Style Truck (Similar); Boots: JCPenney (Similar); Jacket: Express (Similar)
