Today's wonderful guest post is from a new bloggy friend Stephanie. I was her first "stranger follower" over at her delightful blog "The Scoop on Poop" and although her blog is just 100 posts old I've always assumed she has been blogging for MUCH MUCH longer. I asked her to guest blog because contrary to her own opinions I saw her approach to life filled with moxie. She is also celebrating a blogging milestone this week and has decided to have a party to celebrate. After you read what she has to say here do hop on over and congratulate her on reaching her 100th post.
Now here's Stephanie:
When Kathy first asked me to guest post, I was floored. I have never guest posted for anyone before. Then, I became nervous.
Nervous because I didn't want to let her down. She claimed I have "moxie" yet I had to ask her why. She told me it is because I meet life head on, stare it straight in the face.
And it's true. I do. I don't really see that there's a choice. I wasn't handed an easy life, so I could either wallow in self-pity and depression, or I could stand up and make the most out of what life throws my way. Self-pity and depression are no fun, and I am all about the fun.
Life isn't easy for a lot of people. Some of our favorite celebrities started out penniless, living out of their VW vans (Jewel), scouring diners for leftover donuts (Lucille Ball), surviving Hitler (Audrey Hepburn), and overcoming drug addictions (Lady Gaga). They've been the first in flight (Amelia Earhart), refusing to give up their seat for a white person (Rosa Parks), the first to show her pregnancy on a nationally acclaimed and live tv show (Lucille Ball). They've taken the face of opposition and risen to the challenge, endearing themselves in our hearts forever.
These women all have one thing in common. They have moxie: the courage and spirit to overcome difficulties. They all made their mark.
Lucille Ball is the greatest of these. A woman of great moxie. She lived the life of a gypsy as a small child, lost her father to smallpox at age 3, put together her own plays as a child. She even dropped out of high school to find her way along her career path. She became a familiar face in Vaudeville. When the Great Depression hit, she survived by scouring diners for left over donuts, then buying a cup of coffee to eat it with. Her wit and charm turned a donut into lunch and dinner.
Eventually, she took the radio and television world by storm. She started a studio that would be the foundation for many movies, hiring directors that would go on to make many famous shows. There was even a rumor that Lucy tested her co-workers to see how much moxie they had. What a minx she was!! What a charmer. She stole our hearts and endeared herself to many generations. She even managed to change the face of women's roles on television, becoming the first mother to ever air her pregnancy and birth as a part of her show on live national television. She formed the path that many have followed since.
Her legacy will continue on forever. To borrow a final quote from a memoir on Lucille Ball: "In a world where we deal with death and destruction and poverty and sadness on an hourly basis, we can say of Lucy, "She made us laugh." She still does. And that's all she needed to do."
She made her mark during a time when women didn't make marks. This, to me is the ultimate definition of moxie. I hope that someday I am remembered for making my mark too. It takes moxie to envision your dreams and rise above reality to make them come true. I hope that when I am old and gray, people will remember me as having the moxie to follow my own dreams and making my own mark on life.
Thanks for having me over today, Kathy, and making my dream of being a guest blogger come true! I'm going to shamelessly plug my blog here and remind y'all to come over and enter to win the gorgeous necklace I am giving away over at The Scoop on Poop. See ya there!
Next Post: Holy Heck its my 300th post!
My 13 bliss virtues are
joy, order, creativity, passion, whimsy, serenity, inquiry, community,
romance, gratitude, moxie, humility, and surprise.
This week we are studying Moxie. Next up is Humility Week
Stephanie certainly does have moxie! This is a wonderful post. I love her attitude.
ReplyDeleteThat was a fantastic post!!! I love people with moxie. You can just never give up!!! Someday I will share my secret with my blog friends on what I overcame.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post! I never knew all those facts about Lucille Ball. Quite interesting and does provide resolve to us all. :) Theresa
ReplyDeleteWonderful post!
ReplyDeleteFirst, 300th post? YiiiipppEEE!
ReplyDeleteAnd you totally had me at "poop". Tee hee!
She sounds like a wonderful woman - can't wait to check out her blog! I had NO IDEA about Lucille Ball's life...fascinating! I'm just delving into "Women Who Run with the Wolves" that seems to parallel this. Again, don't you love timing?
Thanks for the great guest post!
Indeed Stephanie has moxie! What a great post. I love Lucille Ball. She was pioneer in her field.
ReplyDeleteKathy, she has 3 blogs, one of which is CA Girl (http://itsalark.blogspot.com/)
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see this side of Stephanie. She is always so happy and encouraging, it's good to see her talent for writing shine through here. I noticed in comments that more than a few people have overcome someting. Maybe we could form a group post on this? I've had to endure a lot , too...and sometimes it gets to me.
ReplyDeleteToday is a day like that...it helps so much to know I'm not the only one who has had a hard life...it seems like everyone else but me has grown up with sunshine and unicorns!!