every person,
man or woman, old or young, has something they wear that makes them feel wonderful. for my dad, it's something camo, and probably from cabelas. for my mom, it's something colorful and expertly accessorized. for my sister emily, it's something yellow. for my sister marge, it's something black and very cool that would look ridiculous on anyone else. and for me, it's something comfortable that pairs well with glitter and glue. the first thing i ever purchased from kate spade was a pair of bright pink gumdrop earrings. i was in college and i got them as a birthday treat. they made me feel so fun and special that i wore them to bed. i loved those earrings. over the years i've purchased and received many other treats from kate. a pair of shoes here. a dress there. too many handbags to count. planners. sunglasses. notebooks. i've used her shopping bags to decorate my apartments. i've strolled around her 5 floor shop in nyc. i've carried her with me to different states and countries. i love her. my friends and i love her. my sisters and i love her. when i found out about her tragic death yesterday, my heart broke. i went to my closet and looked at all of the beautiful things i have that she designed. i thought about how strong they make me feel. how confident. and beautiful. and special. and i wished so badly that she could have felt the same way about herself. i wished that i could have given her all that she gave to me in the form of her designs. as i read more about her life and career yesterday, i was so inspired by her grace. her tenacity, grit and imagination. i learned about her struggle with mental illness and the shame she carried with her because of it. i learned that she was hesitant to speak out and seek help for fear of judgement from others. it seemed so wrong that someone so colorful and vibrant could be burdened with something so dark and heavy. but that's just it. mental illness doesn't discriminate. it affects all of us, in some way or another. my prayer is that in light of this, we will all be a little gentler to each other and a little gentler on ourselves. kate was known for her bold, colorful and creative style. she was also known for being a good friend. i only knew her as the former, but i know the latter to be true nonetheless. tonight, drew is taking me to see aladdin downtown. i'm going to be wearing my gumdrop earrings. i'll probably end up sleeping in them just like i did all those years ago. and when i see the bright and colorful stage tonight, i'll be thinking of kate. thank you for making me feel wonderful. rest easy.
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