Do you ever have the thought: Am I crazy?
I know I do.
Yesterday, when I was standing on top of my desk, in my black leather jacket, singing every word to ‘Thunder Road’ and playing air guitar, and the UPS guy walked in, I had that thought. But, when I looked over at him, he seemed to get it and like it. He smiled and gave me the thumbs up.
When I made my spin teacher, Danny, who I am obsessed with, sign my workout top with a sharpie and I formed a fan club in his honor, I wondered the same thing.
Or when I jumped on a plane to LA, just to ride roller coasters with some friends for the day.
Or when I stayed up half the night, on a school night, outside, with my pal Sheila, in February, on her hotel patio, snuggled in blankets and pillows, drinking wine, looking at the stars, waving to pedestrians, and talking deeply of all manner of things.
Or when I feel like the scourge of the universe and everything is going wrong, and I know I am the ultimate loser, but I stop everything and take at least an hour to carefully shower, do my hair and makeup, and insist I look fabulous.
A woman suffocates in the sane, the predictable, the mundane. Her life force expires if she does the same inevitable meaningless tasks, day after day after day after day. A woman just does not make a very good beast of burden. There is no question that she is capable of working hard and accomplishing a lot, but it will feel like living death unless her heart, spirit, mind, and body are fed.
The food for the heart, spirit, mind, and body of woman?
Is crazy.
Really. No joke.
It means she has to say “yes” to her outrageous longing, and run towards whatever calls her.
It means she has to stand inside her beauty—and insist on it—no matter what befalls her.
It means she has to explore her joy, as if it mattered to her, in a world that teaches her the opposite.
It means she has to re-learn spontaneity.
Act on her truth rather than other people’s expectations.
Risk living her dreams, despite all that could go wrong.
Flirt her way behind every velvet rope that tries to restrain her.
In fact, the only way to have an utterly and completely gratified life is to be crazy. To take risks. To vault over obstacles. And run like a fury towards whatever you love most. Every single day of your life with all your heart.
And I know women like I know myself.
If she is not crazy, she is missing the best parts of being alive.
In the spirit of pleasure research…
Would you like to do an experiment with me? Let’s go a little crazy today.
Here is a list of 7 utterly crazy options that might fall outside the lines of what you might normally consider ‘de rigueur.’ But, toss one of these crazies in your mix, and report back here, on the blog, and let me know what you did and how it impacted your day:
1. Slip off your panties. Right now. Leave them home, or in your purse. See how ‘our little secret’ impacts your day.
2. Whether you are married or single, go up to someone you have a crush on, and tell them.
3. Stand on your desk, sing out loud, and duet with your favorite artist! Take a video and post it on my Facebook page.
4. Take a few minutes to primp, right now. Gloss up, get a blow out, throw on some sexy boots and take control of the world’s stage.
5. Make a list of 3 activities that you loved when you were 5 years old. Picnic in the park? Swings and slides? Ice skating? Ice cream? Digging for worms? Dress up? Call in sick and take a Retro-Pleasure Day for yourself.
6. Dress inappropriately for an activity. Wear a Halloween costume as you walk your dog. Wear a bikini under your work clothes. Put on rhinestones at your home office or when you do housework.
7. Meet up with a gang of girlfriends and praise the sh*t out of each other.
You have only one sweet small life. My job is to give you the playground and the opportunity to blow that precious life up to a size that suits your soul. We have a few spots left in the School of Womanly Arts Mastery Program, where the curriculum is all about living larger than you have ever dreamed. Grab one here or call The Palace at 212-787-2411 x1.
I know some of you out there have a desire to take this year’s Mastery program, and have written it off because it seems like the craziest thing you could ever do. I want you to know that as a woman, the sanest thing you can do is invest in your ecstasy. To strap your saddle onto the unknown and take that ride into the land of your dreams and desires. Crazy is where a woman’s truest sanity lives, and the world needs more of it. The last day to enroll in Mastery is this Friday, March 9th. Come to Mama. Let’s get crazy.
“With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now?
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow
Back your hair
Well the night’s busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven’s waiting on down the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh thunder road, oh thunder road oh thunder road…”
–Bruce Springsteen
P.S. Did you catch Friday’s blog on Cheryl Richardson? Check it out here.
(Photo: lizlinder.com)
