Guest Post from Tiffany of Peace, Love and Wine

Guest Post

Today I want to introduce you all to Tiffany, I connected with her on Instagram and love her huge heart, she is such an inspiration.  Below is her guest blog post and collaboration with yours truly.  Be sure to check out her Instagram and other social media pages.   Love her post so many of us can relate to her story I am sure, sadly being bullied myself in High school then many years down the road on social media, there is no reason for this type of behavior but hopefully united as women we can put an end to mean girls and bullies.  Enjoy her post and thank you Tiffany for sharing your story.  Xoxo

@cr8tivewanderlust photo

My Favorite Thing About The New Year Does Not Include High School

"Okay, that was a weird title," you might say. Wait a sec, it will make sense, eventually.

I hated school growing up, except for pre-school. That was my favorite (seriously).  

Yeah, I was the one getting picked on from Elementary School to HS. I got called Bubble Butt and told I was fat in 6^th grade and earlier, by boys. Also, what seemed like all of the girls in my class, ganged up against me and wouldn’t play with me at recess.

I still have the devastating letter from my "friends" in Junior High, saying I was annoying and they didn't want to be my friend anymore. They all signed it and gave it to me. 

In high school, I hated myself. So, at least I saved the bullies some extra work by beating myself up first (mentally and emotionally).  I couldn't even enjoy being thin for once in my life because I was so distracted with self-hatred, control over my food, and not being enough.  

(I promise, the story gets happier soon).

Cue Senior Year: I don't know what happened. In the words of Felicia Day, maybe I finally started to "embrace my weird." I was part of the Associated Student Body (ASB) and even had a run off for Secretary (which I didn’t win) against one of the beautiful, popular kids, Jasmine. So, I still consider it a win. I played the supporting role of Gloria in the school play Wait Until Dark and students I didn’t know started recognizing me around campus and saying, "Hey, it's Gloria!"  Should I mention the part about duct taping my boobs down to pull off playing an adolescent? Nah, I'll save that for another post on persistence. 

I turned 36 in November. I think I'm finally starting to learn "how to adult," in the words of this generation’s great American author Lindsay K. Mason.  #soulsistershoutout I may be biased since she’s one of my dearest BFFs. (Check out her first novel Prepared and her entertaining and insightful blog at www.LindsayKMason.com, but wait a sec because I'm not done here).

My mom used to say she never knew what she “wanted to be when she grew up.” She passed away at the age of 49, ten years ago. I love you Mom.  I never felt weird when being my weird self around you. I love that you would do Acro Yoga in the hallway with me, before it had a name, and show me your Jazzercise moves, just to name a couple silly things. Your laugh could be heard a mile away. I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up, but I know how I want to be remembered. 

I hope people will think of me as kind, inclusive, funny, generous, a little naughty, a great friend and wife…playful...

These are things that inspired the birth of my newborn company Peace, Love, and Wine, and the things I can anchor to when the grind or my attitude gets rough.  Of course, making income is part of the goal. It is a business, after all. But, in the end, it's just money. And, after basic needs are met, money doesn't buy happiness (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3634891/It-s-official-really-t-buy-happiness-People-crave-time-money-satisfied-life.html). When I return to the larger goal of women supporting women, being able to create something so much larger than myself that can give back to the world and fund research for diseases, this is what fuels me.

There were many disappointing, rough things that happened in 2016. But there were also so many amazing things. 

My favorite thing about 2016: Meeting new, amazing women. I attended conferences and events that put me in the same room with female strangers who quickly became supportive, dear friends, Wine Sisters, colleagues, sounding boards...because we are not in high school anymore. We understand that you can't lift each other up if you're breaking each other down into crumbly bits. We are learning how to let our inner mermaids out to splash and sparkle, and to help each other swim when the seas get choppy. For that, (and being done with high school) I am truly, deeply thankful!

Connect with Tiffany here:

Website: Peace, Love and Wine Website - Get 10% off your first order with coupon code WINEWANDERLUST

Instagram: @circusofhumanity and @peaceloveandwineclub

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/peaceloveandwinesisters

Email: Peaceloveandwineclub@gmail.com

Huge Thank you again to Tiffany for sharing her story here and collaborating with me, you can use the above code to purchase some Peace Love and Wine goodies, like the cute tee I am rocking above then in flat lay below and get 10% off.  Remember we rise by lifting others, if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything at all.  If you see someone doing or posting something you don't care for just ignore it and keep moving.  Kindness is something we all need to be throwing around like confetti and if you find yourself being mean or negative to others then maybe take inventory of why you are allowing yourself to feel that way because it is most likely not the person but something deep inside of you causing you to feel that way.  We cannot change others but we can improve ourselves and that is the first step.  Peace, love and light always xoxo. 

photo taken by @cr8tivewanderlust