Go ahead, friend! Win! Why not?
I humbly mention that I RAKED IN accolades at the Christmas Craft Fair1, because I won a ribbon in EVERY category that I entered!2
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
As I am a clear WINNER at Craft Fairs and at life, I wanted to share some of the hard-fought wisdom I’ve learned.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
I learned these essential truths:
1.Sometimes just showing up is enough to guarantee success!
Sometimes, we can use the experience of entering the Craft Fair to allow others to elevate us to such a lofty level that we can look down on the “Losers” in our category! And then we can feel better about ourselves! (In my case, there weren’t any “Losers” in one of my categories as I was the only contestant who entered that category3, but THAT didn’t stop ME from looking down on strangers who walked past me at the Craft Fair! I had a ribbon – TWO ribbons! “Did they?” I asked them silently with my eyes, as I puffed up my chest a bit to make sure my ribbons were on display.)
There are many ways to increase our fragile self-esteem by (humbly, of course!) looking down on others.
So, enter the Craft Fairs and go to the gym and to church!
2.Refuse to listen when people “Judge” you at the Craft Fair or in life!
For example, I felt my blood pressure rise to the level my therapist says will kill me if I don’t learn a “Successful Coping Strategy” (Whatever that means). When I got home, I had a fit, which my poor daughter was around to witness, where I complained loudly about the Judges who are not fair to contestants like me! The reason I was so upset was that my competitor’s (i.e., the enemy’s) oatmeal cookie submission won second place.
However, my dessert won third place, simply because I didn’t add any sugar to my baking submission.
People who VALUE the fact that I didn’t dump cups of poison onto the food to satisfy judges with unreasonably sweet tastes (called a Bliss Point which varies by culture) WOULD have at least considered that FOR A DESSERT WITHOUT SUGAR, it was pretty good!
“Why do I let other people judge my dessert, my cookies, or my life?” I wondered in a frenzy of frustration.
Yes! Why do you? I sensed the Spirit of God confirm to my heart.
Why, child?
He was pleading with me.
And just like that, I was convicted of being a bit of a nutcase again. NOT a nutcase in that I am DIFFERENT from others, but a nutcase in that I am the SAME as others. Why, too, do you let others judge your cookies, or your life, friend?
These judges don’t even VALUE the same things you do, whether it’s healthy food, or chasing hard after a God who doesn’t make sense a lot of the time.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
6th-century Irish poet Dallán Forgaill
We sang the song with the above lyrics this week at church, and my heart felt a little more centered, a bit more aligned with true north. How is the compass of your heart, friend? Does it need a little realignment, too?
To bring your car, ego and life into realignment, consider reading stuff like THIS.
And I hope that your nutcase-ness is exposed a little bit, too, so that God can gently remove a bit more of the cultural rot from your heart, too, friend!
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits – How To Know You’re A True Winner! by Jelly Dollar on Unsplash, MY ACTUAL RIBBONS! (See? I DO SO tell the truth, sometimes!)
1 Fall Craft Fair, actually, but I don’t want you to know that I forgot about this crumpled-up page of writing that I found in a crevice of my bag this week, because in the fall (of course!) I was too busy swimming in the local lake and now (of course!) it’s ski season AND I just bought a fat tire bike so I can ride on the snow! (Meaning I’m BUSY PEOPLE! PLEASE!)
2 Two categories.
3 Yes, I DID win SECOND place in a category had only ONE contestant (me) due to “Quality Concerns” or some nonsense like that! Whatever! Reread Point #2.
Restoring Life 