(wonderfully funny street art sent to me by my nyc friend karen)

i wanted to share a bit of a story:

when i was 10 years old a fellow fifth grader made fun of my legs as i walked home from school one day. i’m not exactly sure why he was making fun of my legs (they were, i believe, normal fifth grader legs), but i remember being incredibly sensitive and most definitely embarrassed about the whole thing. what was wrong with me? did i look weird? am i chubby? i was wearing a pair of green shorts that particular day with a cute tropical patterned shirt that matched perfectly. it was 1985. turns out, i wouldn’t wear another pair of shorts until 23 years later. clearly, i needed an oprah intervention for my neurosis. to grow up in florida and not wear shorts was a tremendous effort, by the way.

last week, i finally overcame my very nonsensical fear and not only bought, but wore a very cute pair of brown walking shorts. i loved them so much that i went back and bought three more pairs in yellow, green, and tan. for the last two weeks i’ve been wearing them nonstop with all my cute shoes and tops and feeling quite sassy if i do say so myself! i’d like to take this moment and thank one of my favorite tv shows, what not to wear, for showing me the way, for convincing me that i too could look cutiefied in a pair of walking shorts. oh, the fears we hold onto!
if i stand back and really think about this, there is so much to celebrate. i often talk about doing the things we don’t think we could do – how doing them can help unearth some of the best parts of ourselves. what i learned last week was this: that our particular thing can be as tiny and seemingly insignificant as clothing. or it could be as significant and huge as finally dismissing one little comment from a nameless/faceless 10 year old boy whose words held tightly to my heart for many, many years. i learned that there is always something, whether it’s huge or tiny, that we can do to create or perhaps uncover shiny new pieces of ourselves. these moments, these pieces, are waiting for us. it doesn’t have to be a huge big event. it could be as simple as putting on a pair of summery yellow shorts…everything is significant.
now that i’ve been skipping around in my shorts, i can’t tell you how utterly silly i feel for waiting all these years. and how finally getting over myself has given me a whole new perspective (and wardrobe).
so yes, i say let go. let go. let go.

Hi, I'm Kelly Rae Roberts!

Before I picked up my first paintbrush at the age of 30, I was a medical social worker. I followed my whispers and started playing with paint and everything changed.

Now I’m a full-time artist, author and Possibilitarian, who helps women explore and nourish their creative souls.

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