“Sparkles, my dear, are a glittery effervescent that adds to one’s life what you desire.”

When I was a little girl, just like other girls I was enamored with anything that sparkled, twinkled, or down-right showed a sequin. Perhaps this obsession came from both my mother and my grandmother. The very thought of wearing a cape and sparkly crown around the house seemed as natural as how peanut butter and jelly went together in my mind as a six year old.

Dress up was my favorite event. I would put on hours of endless make believe play with my friend. We would adorn ourselves with the magical garments from our dress up closets. Then what would ensue was a parade around the house, gallivanting dances around the yard, and endless stories embedded with story book characters we relished at the time. I loved how the light was caught in a sparkly sequin. The glitter of those moments and how I felt, more importantly, will always burn bright in my mind’s eye.

Cut to 2014, here I am, age 30, and in all honesty, I still feel the same way. There is something to be said about feeling one’s best, and sharing it with the world. Whether that is in wearing a glittery top, wearing a sparkle on the lip, or metaphorically utilizing sparkles as a means to apply an emotion towards a situation. By this I mean having sparkles in your life, can take on many meanings and variations.

Let me explain…

When we think of sparkles we are immediately envisioning the silver sparkle of a disco ball, crystal light sparkles, or perhaps something else in a “shiny,” embedded memory.

I like to add sparkle into every day by trying something positive or new. Sometimes it’s harder than others, I’m absolutely no perfect human being, however, I do believe firmly that we have a choice to feel sparkly and positive or to not.

With that being said, what I meant by choosing the phrase, “startwithsparkles,” is the concept of, starting out with positivity. Start your day, your phrase, your response, your thinking with something that brings joy into the forefront of your mind. It is not always easy, I completely recognize this. I have been in the, “Depths of despair,” to quote Anne Shirely more than once in my life. It’s completely natural and healthy to find ourselves walking into a vast array of emotions, however, it is how we choose to respond to our emotions that makes all the difference.

A large part of my life I have remained very quiet and at times passive about my response to the world. I find happiness within myself, my family, and my friends who I interact with daily. I have felt the drive to share for a long time, and I have in various ways shared my own personal ideologies and philosophies so to speak….but it wasn’t until now with a bit of a nudge or two from my husband and father to really share my voice. So I’m kick starting my sparkles with this first little number. Thanks for stopping by and reading. “Sparkle on friends.”