PSA: Poor Tennessee Toth

Reese Witherspoon had a baby today and, bless her heart, she named him Tennessee James Toth. Sure, the Nashville native may be a little homesick and it's a fun name for the former Southerner. For Hollywood, however, it's a little trashy.

I know young Tennessee is just getting acquainted with the world but he could quickly become a cliche. To help out, my lovely friend Molly and I made a list of things he should never do.

1. Visit his grandparents in Nashville.
2. Become a Volunteers or Titans fan.
3. Listen to country music.
4. Run for political office.
5. Use the "You're the only Ten-I-See" pick-up line.
6. Drink Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey or become friends with someone named Jack Daniels.
7. Wear a cowboy hat or own a horse.
8. Wear plaid, ever.
9. Marry a girl named Georgia or Virginia.
10. Dress like Elvis.

You're welcome, sir.

Absurd

I just came across something that made me think of an utter truth: For all the care we put into our reputation, we have absolutely no control over it when we die. And that time period is significantly longer.

As I've mentioned before, I've become quite enthralled with Zelda Fitzgerald. Her big presence in her youth, and her loneliness later in life. Her independence, which was a problem in that era but now would be considered somewhat normal. The ultimate demise of what the press saw as such a happy and dominant marriage.

Zelda, like me, wasn't much for running a household.

From her Wikipedia page:

When Harper & Brothers asked her to contribute to Favorite Recipes of Famous Women she wrote: "See if there is any bacon, and if there is, ask the cook which pan to fry it in. Then ask if there are any eggs, and if so try and persuade the cook to poach two of them. It is better not to attempt toast, as it burns very easily. Also, in the case of bacon, do not turn the fire too high, or you will have to get out of the house for a week. Serve preferably on china plates, though gold or wood will do if handy".

You can imagine the shriek of laughter I just let out when I saw this.

Zelda- on an apron! HA!

Not perfect can be good enough

I bought a painting a few years ago that hangs in our bedroom and is emblazoned with the quote, "I know well from what I flee, but not what I'm in search of." That's how I feel often in life, that I'm escaping displeasure without really knowing what will make me happy.

I'm in the middle of Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream by Whitney Johnson, which I came across after her interview with the Good Life Project. Whitney, who has accomplished so much in her life fearlessly, saw other women around her who didn't have the same inspired dreams she does, but were also not fulfilled. Her book is meant to inspire them to dare to dream, to recognize their dreams and have the courage to follow them. It's definitely given me some of her courage and open-mindedness.

One of the stories just touched off a spark. A contributor writes about how she encouraged her son to draw as she read him a story. As he drew, he realized that his images didn't quite stack up to the professional illustrations that accompanied his favorite books. His wasn't good enough. Instead of enjoying the experience, he threw a temper tantrum and drew big, dark lines over his work. His wasn't good enough and no one would see it.

It made me wonder how many times I cast my work aside when I'm not happy with it or, even worse, refuse to start a project if I don't think I can succeed. I'm driven by success. Without it, I'm not really interested.

Now I realize that I'm selling myself short. If I don't let myself do, even if I might fail, I'm going to miss out on the many achievements I could have and success may elude me.