When You Fall Down Seven Times
When you fall down seven times, stand up eight.
-Japanese Proverb
Two things happened to me recently that really struck me.
First: I was out and about in town and bumped into an old friend who remarked that she felt like she hadn't heard from Miles in Heels in a while and it made her sad. She said that she wondered if she had somehow fallen off my mailing list. The fact that she missed me made me happy, but the fact that she felt she was missing something made me sad.
Second: I was watching the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on my DVR (and, yes, I was walking on the treadmill while watching so that has to count for something!) and for the first time in recent memory, I witnessed a model completely trip and fall at the top of the runway. It wasn't a small fall: it was a spectacular fall; one where she had a lot of trouble getting up.
Why am I sharing these two totally random, seemingly unrelated tidbits with you? I'll tell you why. I'd be lying if I said last year was my favorite year. It wasn't. It was challenging. Don't get me wrong: there was a lot to be grateful for. Professionally, I hit a lot of new highs and accomplished some incredible milestones. However, I've been distracted by a lot of things: the national news; current events; countless, senseless tragedies affecting slews of innocent people. And, to add insult to injury, every time I answered the phone this year, I feel like I received troubling health news about someone I love. To my frustration, I’ve been amazed at how much these distractions have affected my ability to sit down and write, which is one of my favorite things to do.
If you look closely at the picture of the model above, you may notice that she NEVER STOPS SMILING. Not when she trips, nor when she is on the way down to the ground and not even after she gets up. Leslie Odom Jr. was the performer who was singing during her walk and after the show, he is the one who said, "It happens to the best of us. You fall down seven times, you stand up eight." This show is not live, it's taped. The producers could have easily edited out the incident. I truly think they left it in to remind us of a very important lesson: even when things look perfect, they aren't. This particular model was on the largest stage in her hometown in China and her family and friends were all in the audience. She was positively giddy in the interview that played right before she went out and walked. When she fell, I actually gasped. It broke my heart.
But here's the point: we are all going to fall. That's a given. IT'S HOW YOU REACT TO THE FALL AND GET BACK UP THAT COUNTS. Quite frankly, just like my friend who mentioned she's missed me, I've missed me, too! I miss sitting down and writing to all of you about the things that move me and shape me and speak to my soul. I know there isn't anything I can do about the past but tomorrow is a new day. What I do have control over is how I react going forward and how I treat each fresh start. Tomorrow is full of potential and possibility and I know that with each new morning, there is the ability to choose how I react to "the fall."
So, I'm starting by writing this: tomorrow is in sight and the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades...and a closet full of cute shoes.
HAPPY SELF-IMPROVEMENT MONTH!
©Copyright 2019 Kim Miles, Founder and CEO, Miles in Heels Productions, LLC