Monday, March 28, 2011

2 1/2 Lessons Learned.

Spring break is over and I'm back up at school. Although my break unfortunately wasn't filled with Florida sunshine or cute derby hats, there were some pleasant parts, such as a golf/lunch outing with my mom, some best friend bonding, and a few shopping excursions. There were some unpleasant parts that I won't go into detail here, but it was a mixture of the pleasant and the unpleasant that inspired today's post:

21/2 Lessons Learned:

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Lesson 1 (shopping): Stop, STOP buying "safety items."
Whenever I see something that looks like it will fit me, I am compelled to buy it. Why? Because so few things fit, I have some strange impulse to buy everything that fits as if I will never find anything like it again. 9 times out of ten, these items are tank tops. Tank tops are stretchy, so they always look small, and they come in such an array of colors that I'm always convinced that I need another in a different shade to really complete my wardrobe. But in reality, I RARELY wear them!! I think I wear about 2: a pretty floral one from LOFT that I wear frequently because I have a lack of clothing with patterns, and a mauve-colored one from AE that looks good with my J.Crew ruffle tank. The others sit in my drawer, pulled out maybe once a year.

This also applies to cardigans (and I know some of you readers have the same cardigan addiction that I do!). What I end up with is a closet full of cardigans and tank tops, which are almost all plain and solid-colored so they don't look that cute together, and no more money to buy anything else. Problem.

Lesson 2 (romance): Just because someone is compatible with you for external reasons, doesn't necessarily mean they'll be compatible with you on a deeper level.
WOW that sounded just like an eHarmony commercial! But it's true. I was once convinced that a guy was absolutely perfect for me: he has same values and tastes, a great family, a kind heart, plenty of ambition, intelligence, and attractiveness to boot. After a few years of confusion, and several recent frustrating conversations, it seems our personalities just don't seem to mesh well romantically despite how compatible we thought we were once. Disappointing, but I guess that's life. Which leads me to my 1/2 lesson....


Lesson 1/2 (life): Expect to be disappointed.
I know, it sounds like a downer, and perhaps it is. The reason why this doesn't count for a full lesson is because I haven't fully learned it yet. I always, ALWAYS get my hopes up super high about absolutely everything, and I'm usually let down about 90% of the time. My mom has been warning me about this since I can remember ("well don't get your hopes up, Elizabeth..."). Friends frequently cancel, group project members often slack off, boyfriends are forgetful, and packages arrive late. I count on people to always stick to their word just as I count on the weather forecast to be accurate- bad idea! I end up feeling so let down, when I shouldn't have depended on chance in the first place. I need to stop assuming, and expect less: that way, when awesome things actually do happen, they're that much more awesome.


I feel like mistakes often repeat themselves until a lesson is learned. What lessons have you learned recently, whether silly or serious?


*ShortBlonde*


8 comments:

Karrisa_T said...

I agree with number 2...

Hey, fellow petite! Just found your blog! I think the petite blogging community has been so wonderful especially when it comes to styling and proportions and petite finds out there, hasn't it?

Carley said...

Those are some good lessons! Thanks for sharing!

Bridget said...

I just found your blog and I think it's so cute. I just realized this weekend that I buy "safe" items, too, when I came home with yet another J. Crew "Jackie" cardigan...in a color I already own!

ShortBlonde said...

Thanks, Bridget & cRk! Ugh the Jackie cardigan is my FAVORITE and always the most tempting :)

And yes Kerrie, I agree the petite blogging community is wonderful! It's such a comfort knowing there's other tiny ladies out there with the same sizing struggles.

FMT Donor said...

Wow, that happened to me... He was kind, funny, had a close loving family, seriously gorgeous (and I only ever say that about George Clooney and George Clooney), loved the outdoors, clean cut, ambitious, successful... But after our first "date" we had less and less to say... which didn't seem to make sense. I was actually upset that I didn't like him. Hahaha, he was SUCH a catch. Darn us!

MLD said...

You're right about Greenwich, it is really cute. I wouldnt say Im unhappy with the fist pumpers, just not what I'm used to you know?

Me said...

Sorry to hear about your boy troubles!

I am very much like you...I would tend to get my hopes up, but then be upset. Perhaps it is because we ourselves put a lot of energy/love/enthusiasm or whatever into what we do, and we just expect equal commitment from others. So as you said, I just try to lower my expectations of adults. I keep very high expectations for my studnets, and they do a pretty darn good job of meetng them. :) They are easy to mold...adults, not so much. :/

Preppy Petite said...

I just found your blog and I am loving it! Great post. I sometimes end up taking home the one item off the rack that is tiny enough to fit, even if I'm not in love with the item. It is just too depressing to go home empty-handed! But then I end up with stuff in the closet that I never want to wear. Shopping can be a huge let-down for us petites.

Regardless, I say we should remain hopeful, be prepared for the worst (full disclosure- haven't figured how to do that with guys yet) and remember the best things come in small packages! :)