helplessly, hopelessly

brutally honest.

or honest to a fault. Call it what you want, I tend to just plain ole tell the truth (or rather, my honest opinion of the truth). My mother frequently refers to it as "painfully honest," my dad just stares at me, eyes wide, and chuckles in admiration of the statements I make, and my sister generally resolves to physically hitting me because she can't think of a way to respond [mind you this was when we were younger-not like, yesterday]. Regardless, you get the picture. I'm kind of a tell it as I see it kind of gal. While some find this brash, abrassive or downright rude, I view it as helpful. If people don't want the truth why do they ask?

Another notoriously dry and sarcastic lady who may understand my frustration is Kelly Cutrone (some of you may know of her from The Hills and The City- she's the fashion PR behind People's Revolution). Surprisingly, my mom heard of her books and suggested I pick one up; so, I did. Much to my delight, Kelly is as brutally honest as they come, and spares no detail when describing her rise to the top of the PR world. I find it incredibly insightful and inspiring. *disclaimer: she's brutal people. don't pick up this book if you're wary of profanity and/or the descriptions of a loose lifestyle. She outlines what it takes to follow your dreams, no matter how out of reach they may seem.

Here are a few passages that stuck out to me:

"Move toward what feels right-toward the things we know, for reasons we can't explain, that we're meant to do, the things that make us feel alive."

"I hope that you too will have a journey instead of just a life. Actually, I hope you have an expedition."

"There are people related to you physially, and then there are people we're related to spiritually, emotionally, and socially. The road to your dreams is sometimes dark, and it's sometimes magical, but The Wizard of Oz had one thing right: it's ultimately about the journey and the characters who accompany you on it, not about the destination."

"You never know who will end up being your family or where you'll find them. All that matters is that you do find them. After all, your tribe members, whether people gifted to you by the universe or people you seek out and pay, will not only add something unique and essential to your journey but make it much more colorful and fun."

so if you're brave enough for a little honesty, want info on professional dos and don'ts, or just wanna know how someone can go from blue collar to blue-blood I recommend this book.

in closing, a quote from one of my favorite movies:

"Like I always said, 'If ya can't think of anything nice to say, come sit by me'."
-Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias