Musings + Essays
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Phoenix.

By: Jen Shoop

For the women struggling with new roles, new jobs, new identities;

For the women mourning endings or mistakes or coulda-woulda-shouldas;

For the women regretting decisions they’ve made or not made;

For the women who have tried and failed;

For the women trying again;

For the women who are, Phoenix-like, turning new leaves:

These words, from Colin Powell, which I came upon on a cold Monday morning walk through Central Park, and have re-visited at least a dozen times since:

“I’ve spent a good part of my career looking at things that did not go right…You always have to take a failure and turn it into something.  Whenever you have  a failure or disappointment, what do you do about it?  Do you whine about it?  Do you hang onto it as long as you can?  No.  You figure out what you did wrong — not what others did wrong.  What did you miss?  What did you miss in the equation?  Others may have made mistakes, and we’ll deal with them later.  But what did you miss?  And once I have discovered my faults, then I correct myself, my software, my inner feelings, and then I roll the failure up in a little ball, throw it over my shoulder, and I never look at it again.”

Post-Script.

+Currently obsessing over this book.  Written by a literature professor about his relationship with his father, and in a style that strongly parallels the genre he’s dedicated his professional career to studying, it’s pretty much got my number.  Thank you to my lovely reader Roya for the rec.

+I’m getting v. bored of the cold weather, but in the interim, have been living in thermals like this, layered under sweaters and jackets.  (I’ve also raved about Old Navy’s thermals — they really hold up in the wash and are currently under $5.  Wut.)  Separately, I loved this from J. Crew’s latest crop of new arrivals.

+I was smitten with this statement top from SEA all last season.  It’s now on sale for $207, but you can get the look for less — $100 less! — with this!

+I have an antelope-print rug that I cherish dearly.  If you want to blend some of this animal magic into your home repertoire in smaller doses, consider this or this!

+OMG these darling dopp kits for little boys!  The prints!  The monograms!

+Well isn’t this gorgeous for a feminine bedroom, office, or living room?  (Under $100!)

+How cool is this as an alternative for framed prints?  Mr. Magpie just got through his most hated task on earth: hanging the 2309823098 paintings, prints, and framed knick-knacks we’ve amassed over the years (no small feat) and he was remarking that he wished we had more hanging objets vs. framed pieces to break things up.  This is a cool option.

+I have been obsessed with this print for years.  Maybe I should just buy a few mugs to satisfy the craving?

 

 

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8 thoughts on “Phoenix.

  1. Love this quote – so, so important to keep in mind, I feel. I used to keep quote journals as a student and feel like I should pick up this practice again! For now I’ve saved it in a draft with other snippets that have inspired me. Thank you!

  2. You should absolutely get something in the country estate print – I have a serving plate in that print (from an adorable little shop in Middleburg, VA) propped up on a bookshelf, and it seriously makes me smile every time I see it!

    1. I love this! What a fabulous idea. I like the tone it strikes — how failure can range from humorous to inspiring. Thanks for sharing this!

  3. I love the Colin Powell quote! (think it will fit as an alarm title? 😉 I needed to remind myself of that very thing yesterday as I was still dwelling on a “not-the-end-of-the-world” oversight in my new job, and a co-worker gently reminded me to forget it and move on. I also love the striped J Crew tee…but have also been finding their tees to be a little low on the quality scale lately. Maybe this one will change our minds? The book rec also looks interesting!

    1. Yes, the quality of J. Crew’s cotton tees in particular is abhorrent — I find Old Navy/Gap stuff holds up much better when you’re looking for inexpensive cotton basics. But, the styling…! There’s the rub.

      Glad this came in hand at the right time. Just crumple it up in a ball and toss that baby over your shoulder!

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