Sparkle

My niece – 6 going on 16 – is quite the girly girl.  If it was possible to be a diva at the tender age of 6 she’d be one, hell, why employ reverse ageism - she is one! She doesn’t  bowl because she “won’t wear THOSE shoes” and won’t ice skate because “it’s WAY too cold”.  Enough said.

An extension of this girly girl personality is her wardrobe selection.  She’s never seen a sequin, feather, tulle skirt, animal print or ruffle that she hasn’t adorned, usually simultaneously.  Shopping for and with her is hard – her Toddlers & Tiaras vs. my Ralph Lauren Classic Collection rarely see eye to eye and while I don’t want her disappointed, I also don’t want her looking completely ridiculous.  Not on Thia Olga’s watch! 

So, off we go for a little shopping trip and it’s one “I don’t think so”and “maybe something not so shiny” after the other.  So frustrating!  Just let me buy you something decent and well made and cute and not so totally over the top, will ya?  Finally, a compromise: a hooded cardigan with a sequined front, in hot pink.  What can you do?  Because she’s the cutest and also quite caring, she asked the salesgirl if they had one in my size too so we could be twins.  I smiled, after I wiped away a tear, and told her it wasn’t really my style – it was way too sparkly for Thia Olga. And then she said it.

“Thia Olga, everyone needs a little sparkle in their life.”

Hot Damn.  Everyone Needs A Little Sparkle In Their Life.  And we do, don’t we?  A small thing that puts a twinkle in your eye, a little something that the mere thought of gives you a lift when you’re feeling blue.  Who cares what your sparkle is – just get some, have some, you know you need some.

Obviously, T literally wears her sparkle and it makes her super happy.  Thia Olga, not so much, but with T sprouting words of wisdom like this, Thia Olga is never too far away from a super big sparkle.   Thia Olga is one lucky girl.

Tell me, what’s your sparkle?