Last Looks: A Store With a Spirit

            I don't know if you are familiar with the late 80's television series "Cheers", but in the final episode of the series there is a scene that dramatizes a "last look" perfectly. The show protagonist,Sam Malone, turns out the lights to his beloved bar and proceeds to walk away from a place where an abundance of memories and laughs took place throughout the show. As the lights dim and he strolls into the distance,cheesy music plays and as you watch your eyes begin to tear up as episode flashbacks appear into your mind. I felt as though I had a "Sam Malone" moment today. Well,I am not ashamed to admit it was equally as dramatic in my head. I just needed some background music as I locked the door of Firefly Studio (a local paint-your-own-pottery studio and my job of nearly 4 years) for the last time today.

    Dramatic parting from this store was not in any way due to a quirky delusional and emotionally unstable state,as it may seem.I promise I am not sitting here with a pint of Haagan Daas ice cream having a nice snotty cry. The parting was just sentimental due to the incredible spirit that the store has always offered. Also, due to the metamorphosis it has done on every employee who has encountered it. I have always been one to wear my heart on my sleeve, and therefore I am not timid to admit I have transformed through the love and community of Firefly Studio. It has been more than a store to all, but a friend.

     As I took my "last look" at the store, I couldn't help but think of the first day I walked into the store to fill out an application when I was about sixteen years old. It's funny how looking at something for the last time (as you know it) can bring back a stream of memories you did not even know you had. As a young high school student I entered the Firefly boundaries as nothing but a little girl struggling to discover her identity while entering the threshold of adulthood. But unlike any other store, Firefly was a place where every high school age employee could leave any doubts about life behind and just be ourselves for a little while at work.

        Being the "new kid" on the very first day of your very first job probably was not a relaxing experience for anyone. My first day on the job at Firefly was honestly nerve wrecking. Despite the fun atmosphere I was terrified and insecure. My head flooded with all of the things that could potentially go wrong. "I could drop paint pallet tiles and have them shatter on the floor. I could answer the phone and freeze because I don't know what to say. Or worst of all- everyone at work could hate me- (Including my boss)". These were my fearful thoughts on that sunny April day. But,as I was on-the-job-training that afternoon, I could not help but notice that the girl who was training me had a sense of self that seemed to give a heartbeat to the room. She seemed to have a light about her that shined so brightly it almost intimidated me. I could have only hoped to one day wear confidence so beautifully.I could never imagine being so comfortable at work. I didn't know it yet, but over the course of the next few years I would learn to be a confident girl in those very walls. I would experience growth that would allow me to eventually contribute to the fervent heartbeat of that business.

    I think my fellow Firefly Studio employees would agree that many "firsts" in their lives happen either within the store or with each other. I know I experienced many firsts there.

      I was picked up for my very first date in the Firefly parking lot. I was given advice for my first date that same day while working. I gushed over my date with my employee friends the next day. I learned to appreciate art in a new and exciting way. I met people who were different from me and had different beliefs. I cried in the back room when my heart was broken. I tried alcohol for the first time in the shopping center parking lot, too (but we'll momentarily disregard the fact that it was completely illegal ). I had work crushes. I witnessed countless awkward situations that now make wonderful stories. I laughed so hard one day I literally keeled over in stomach pain. Sometimes I ached with pain and confusion, but didn't have to hide it from anyone. My boss gave me a key to the store when she thought I had earned it. My boss became my friend. I felt a part of something. I felt alive. I felt important. These were all "firsts" that gave me space to grow. Grow on my own.

The nostalgia of Firefly looked a little something like this:  

The smell of the purple Fabuloso cleaning agent. The stuff smelled like a freaking field of violets and had a way of angering every mother of an infant that walked through the store doors. "The smell is too strong, you need to quit spraying toxins", they would say. (We always felt awkward about that, but they were probably right. The cleaning agent is changed now to something more organic. But it probably doesn't smell as good. oh well. Safety first.).

Pandora Radio. Us employees went through many different musical taste phases over the years (one of  them being an Owl City phase which I still do not quite understand), but we seemed to always stay strong and consistent with the Disney station. 

The paint colors and their correlating numbers. "Will you grab me another bottle of #74?" This is common employee lingo at Firefly. Every bottle of paint has a specific number on the front of it depending on the color and shade. It was sometimes kind of fun feeling as though were were speaking in code in front of everyone. One day when business was slow we all stood in front of the "paint station" and decided what color we would be if we had to become one. I was always #75. Bright Orange.

Saturday Lunch. Everyone was required to work from open to close on Saturday, therefore lunch runs were a always major topic of interest. Also, Whole Foods was right across the street. So, we were all acclaimed regulars over time.

Our Store Regulars. Natural and genuine relationship building was such a core element of Firefly Studio not only between employees, but also with our customers. I will never forget the familiar faces of those who would come into the store regularly. Who shared a peice of their life with us and learned our names. The customers who would bring us homemade cookies during the holidays and the customers who would demonstate public compassion to their loved-ones.

So as I move on in life and part from the store that we have all been sculpted and renewed by, I will look back on my time there and appreciate the way in which it saved me. The way it saved me from the dark and brought me light throughout my teen years. And the way It will always continue to have heartful a place in my memory.

Love,

Jordan Leigh

Apartment Therapy

As of lately, it has been hitting me how soon the move-in date is nearing for my very first apartment. Moving into your first apartment is extremely exciting because for the first time in all of your  life you will be able to have a space that is entirely open to your own ideas; a place that you (and roomates perhaps) turn into your very own temporary home. On the other hand, I am a student... and I am broke. So as far as furniture and decor goes, The Shaper Image will not be seeing me waltz into their store any time soon.Unless I win the lottery,of course.(This is highly unlikely, and even if I did win the lottery I would probably use the cash to go on an exotic backpacking trip to New Zealand or Aruba and possibly buy myself a butler.) So what are us broke folks to do? Well, we become incredibly familiar with the word "improvision".
           Since I am stoked to invest in just about any hands-on project I can stumble upon, I figured I could solve my apartment budget conundrum  and "improv" my way through providing furniture and decor. How? You might ask. And the answer to that question is Goodwill, Savers,and thrift stores. Re-purposing things could be a good time for anyone (with some patience...or wine) and quite beneficial for the character of a living space! For project #1 I discovered some awesome glass objects on the dusty shelves of my Goodwill. All that these little guys need are a "face-lift" using acrylic paint. I am excited to see how these could be arranged on a bookshelf or on top of kitchen cabinets. One man's trash is another man's treasure? Yeah, baby! (I couldn't resist saying something cheesy).

So, I have to confess. I got the idea for these messy looking paint-splattered jars from a display at Anthropologie. One of their current summer displays within the store has arranged jars covered in paint resting sporadically among vintage books. I thought this was pretty awesome. Therefore, I am going to be a copy cat. Don't mind me.

Love,

Jordan Leigh

Oh, The Places You Can Go.

 Last night It was probably one of the most beautiful nights Central Arkansas has seen a while, so I decided to take full advantage of this and go for a sunset run across one of the new pedestrian bridges on the river. I don't know about you, but I do lots of deep thinking while on runs. These thoughts are all the more dramatic when I have my Ipod playing endless sound tracks from bands that "speaks to me". You know what I mean?You probably do. Everybody has music that speaks to them in some way. I call them "song-motions", when a song and it's lyrics just completely strikes a chord inside of you.

 

Lately, there have been many different situations and people who have had me thinking about the world and everybody's place inside of it. It never ceases to amaze me that the world is completely open to us, if we simply take a chance on it and have no fear. I am ashamed to admit,but I have been completely a wuss at some points in life.The fear of failure, our doubts, and the limitations we place on ourselves completely cage us in from living out a passionate purpose. Also, I have found myself  blindsided with the question of what it truly means to live a life for God.

       About a month ago I read an article in News Week about religion and how so many people get caught up in the practice of their faith, that they fail to even bear fruit that resembles God in any way. It's as though God has been tied so closely with religion, that His genuine meaning has become over-complicated and mis-understood. So,what does it mean to live an honest life that genuinely seeps, shines, and over flows with the goodness of God? Recently, I have known of a couple aquantences and people who have at such an early age passed away for various reasons. The moment one leaves this world, a legacy is instantly left behind. As I read Facebook posts written about the lives of these people (who are barely in their twenties), my heart literally sinks with the reality of how incredibly short their lives were.But, perhaps the thing that tugs at the strings of my heart even more is the fact that none of these people wasted their time here on earth. Perhaps the people who left this world at an early age knew much more about life than many people grow to understand in a lifetime.

       It is truly evident that a life was thoroughly lived when a death begins a trickle effect among massive amounts of people, inspiring everyone to live today BOLDLY with the gifts God has given them and to not hold back in this world in any way. In my opinion, living a beautiful life for God was never intended to be limiting,judging or stuffy. In fact, God wants us to have no boundaries in life. Everybody has a unique set of qualities and gifts that are fully able to make a difference in some way. What will we leave behind? Who are we going to touch?

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Paint Me a Picture of Your Life

Using my passion....before I even knew I had a passion. Who knew?!

    After finishing my freshman year of college recently, I have been reflecting a lot on the changes that have occurred in my life and the lives of many of my friends. Many young people have begun finding out what their true gifts are and how they are going to apply them to their lives in a unique way.
       "What does it mean to live a vibrant and bold life? How can I use my gifts? How can I influence other people's lives with these abilities I've been given?",this is the question that has phased me through a majority of my freshman year as a college student. In order to work through the chaos and endless questions I had regarding the destiny of my life and the lives of my friends, I thought of an analogy that could perhaps help me understand God's plan for our lives a little better. I like to think of life as being a giant art show,and God being our head critique. I want to live life in such a way that one day when I go home to be with the Lord he says, "that painting is beautiful, thank you so much".

      Whenever we were old enough to understand the world and our place inside of it, it is as though God gave us a giant canvas along with some paint and said "what are you going to paint for me?". Many of us will find ourselves at times looking at the canvas with a blank stare on our faces and waiting for somebody else to do the painting for us. We start to leave it up to our parents or other people to help us create a beautiful life painting. But, we find ourselves frustrated when it remains blank or it becomes a design that we did not choose for ourselves or create on our own. We glance at the paintings that our peers are composing and we think, "why does everybody else's painting look so good and original?". This is a moment that I have faced at some points in the last few years. But, the truth of the matter is that everybody has the same paints available to them and a clean canvas. It is only up to us to create a magnificent masterpiece for the Lord. There comes a time when we must pick up the paint brush we have been given, grab our paint pallet, and take a step forward by beginning our life artwork.

       Many will choose to play it safe and use very neutral colors on their canvas. People will live a simple life. Others will create a painting that is full of curls, zig-zags, and neon colors. Bold and full of genuine mistakes and victories. They will live an endlessly adventurous and crazy life. All of these are beautiful paintings, but some are more bold than others. The neutral colors are definitely easy on the eyes, but shouldn't we all strive to be VIBRANT? In my opinion, we were not meant to live lives that played it safe. We are supposed to be honest and fearless,right?  I want to live boldly! Don't you?

     Recently I finished reading a book called "Flow"by  Mihály Csíkszentmihályi (What a name,right?). Mahaly is a positive Psychologist who looked deeper into the benefits of following your passions. He describes flow as being a state in which we are doing something that we are passionate about and can effortlessly excel in it. This book coincided a lot with my thoughts about living a more bold life for the Lord. I think many can agree that in college we learn what it is we want to do with our lives and the gifts that we have been given. We gain direction on what our inspiration will be for our painting. But perhaps by following our TRUE passions, we will be able to create a more colorful piece of art. Although settling for a safe career path or partner can still be beautiful, it will never be as vibrant as a life of  taking a chance on the world and the love that comes our way.  So, what are your passions? How will you use them for the Lord? And are you going to use neutral or BOLD colors?

Let's paint together.

love,

Jordan leigh

Creative Order----Make Your Own Necklace Rack!

Today I woke up from a good night's sleep and found myself feeling very dysfunctional. It didn't make sense seeing that I had gotten more sleep than I have in weeks (due to tedious all-nighters preparing for finals). As I glanced around my room I realized that little piles had accumulated because of my rushing around. I had nailed the source of the "mystery burden" I had on my shoulders. "Ah-ha", I thought, "this is exactly  what is getting under my skin". So, I dedicated my morning to de-cluttering my room and boxing things up that I won't need when I move-out. But who says de-cluttering has to be boring? It's got to be fun, or I'd never do it. Let's face it. In desperation to keep my necklaces from tangling (biggest pet peeve in the world) I came up with a clever rack (of sorts) to help me out.--Actually Pinterest had the idea, I can't take credit for that!!--

Things needed:

-small canvas

-fabric of your choice (I used old scraps)

-ruler. scissors.

-thumb tacks

-hot glue

Love,

Jordan Leigh

Inspiration at Sunset

The sunset is by far my favorite time of the day. I'm starting think this could be mainly because I have a hatred for the slows of late afternoon, and the sunset seems mark the transition into evening ("hallelujah",is what I say to that). But aside from an introduction to a starry night, the colors in a sunset never cease to amaze me.  Inspired by the vibrance of the late-day sunshine, I mustered together some items I think  the bold sunset would approve of. Ha, what a personality that sun has. Happy Earth Day, everyone.
Love,
Jordan Leigh

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Neon pink tank (Forever 21), Flowy wide legged Patterned Pants, Detailed Roped Belt (Anthropologie),  Mexican Jute Backpack ( Picked this little baby up in San Diego from a mexican vendor in Old Town.I didn't have to pay nearly as much for it as I think I should have.Not only are these people incredibly talented and not payed nearly enough,but the bag has a million dollar value in my heart. Just saying.)
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Love Grows Here.

Love Autopsy: The Way I See It

This week I found some extra time to create a couple of new playlists for my car. On one playlist in particular, I compiled a bunch of songs from various movie soundtracks. Yesterday as I was driving to class I previewed my new tunes. The first song that played was an 80's inspired pop song from the movie, "Music and Lyrics". As Hugh Grant's singing voice blared through my speakers, he redundantly sang the lyric "figuring out... you and me... is like doing... a love autopsy".

  In my reflective mood, the cheesy song inspired me with thoughts about relationships. Sometimes we have confident reasoning to "end it, take a bow, exit the stage, and draw the curtain". But other times, we will remember a shared moment and wonder why things had to go wrong. A "love autopsy" would be handy in times like these. If all humans inevitably behave unfavorable at times, than flawed behavior can't possibly be the main "cause of death" for relationships. We "toe-tag" our past relationships and label them with a flaw to justify the "death". "But, what if flaws aren't the problem?" I wonder. I think it's possible that fate is our "silent killer".

Fate is like a cancer. It is almost impossible to avoid and very difficult to fight. It is the idea that everything that's meant to be will be. There is a Chinese proverb that claims there is an invisible red thread that connects you to everyone you are destined to meet. If this is true, than every personal encounter we have with another individual was a preordained experience. I love this. As I look back on my "first conversations" with different people, it's amazing to think that it was the result of life course (the red thread's direction) and mathematical probability. I can almost imagine God looking down and saying, "Yes! Finally! I've been waiting for this part!"



If fate is responsible for the result of our relationships, than maybe we are too quick to become bitter. Its okay to mourn a "death", but we must also celebrate the encounter. Our relationships form because our "life-threads" cross inevitably with another's. Almost always, it's only for a sweet moment and than our threads change course. But maybe once you meet your soul mate, your "life-threads" will continue to cross. It may take a lifetime to find that person. But, no matter how long the time gaps are between encounters or the barriers standing in the way,you run into each other. This phenomenon is called, serendipity.

Since "love autopsies" aren't real, we may never know the actual "cause of death" for certain relationships. But, maybe we can rest assured in the fact that fate is on our side and will allow us to "live" one day.

So,go with the flow......and run for your life!