I know it's been a little while since I posted on this blog. I am also well aware that I'm slacking on my "2011 bucket list" goal of posting at least once a week. However, this post has been purposely delayed. I have had plenty opportunities to post in the last week or so but I really didn't have too many relevant things to say so I figured the finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show would give me plenty to post about. So, I waited.
Today, Ms. O signed off from her daily talk show after 25 years of informing, influencing, teaching, and changing the lives of millions of viewers from around our world. This final show was exactly what it should have been. It was just Oprah. As she said, "no one is getting a car and nothing is under your seat", "no more surprises and no special guests". It really was the perfect way to end a truly great show. In my lifetime, the best finale that I have ever seen was that of Sex and the City. I suppose it compares to the finale of Cheers or Dynasty for those of you who are a bit older than me. These shows ended without leaving anyone on their toes and left everything the way it really was supposed to be. Oprah did just that.
I sat on the couch in my living room with a box of tissues ready for those tear-jerking moments that Oprah tends to deliver. I also had a notepad in hand. She reviewed the lessons she has learned over the years and I wrote them down. Oprah has been a true role model to me in my life. No, I'm not delusional and yes, I realize she is just another person on t.v. But, to me, she's so much more than that. If Eleanor Roosevelt or Rosa Parks or Mother Theresa can be role models, so can Oprah. Her wisdom and the fact that she shows grace and humility and strength and power in everything she does has meant so much to so many people.
Oprah's show has been on since the year after I was born. So, she truly has been a part of my entire life. I remember seeing my mom, aunts and grandmother watch Oprah in the afternoons. I, myself, started really watching The Oprah Winfrey Show in my last few years of high school. I remember when I was about 20, I was opening birthday gifts from my longtime boyfriend and for that birthday, he gave me a very nice watch, a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring and The Oprah Winfrey Show 20th Anniversary collectors edition box set. Take a wild guess at which gift I cried. Yep, I cried when I opened the Oprah DVDs. So, obviously, her message has meant a lot to me in the past several years.
She has long been a member of the most powerful women in the world and will remain that to so many people. I admire her for what she stands for, who she is, how open she is to learning about people and feelings and why things are the way they are. I love that she truly inspires people to go for whatever their life calling is, once they find it. I also love the way she has provided a platform to so many other experts to put important, life-changing topics at the forefront of our minds. Some of those experts are Dr. Phil, who has a no-bullshit method of getting people to realize why they are the way they are and how it's affecting those around them; Dr. Oz who made medicine pretty cool and told everyone what the perfect poop is supposed to look like (haha!!); Dr. Laura Berman (my personal role model) who is a sex and relationship therapist who has made having conversations about sex, feelings, love and relationships MUCH less taboo and much more comfortable and easy; and Nate Berkus who has taught so many people to create a home that rises up to greet them every day.
I mentioned a little earlier that I wrote down the key lessons that Oprah reviewed today. Here is what I wrote down and a few bits of my own personal insight about each of them.
*What sparks the light inside of you?*: This is a crafty way of saying "what really inspires you" and I like the way it was said. :)
*Start embracing the life that is calling you and use your life to serve the world*: I can't wait for the moment when I will really figure out what I was placed on this earth to do. I haven't quite found it yet and although I have whispers about it, I still need to figure out how.
*Nobody but you is responsible for your life*: I am lucky to have been raised by a very independent mother and a father who taught be to do things for myself. I know to never look to another human being to "complete" me (Jerry McGuire was just a movie) and I understand that I am responsible for the outcome of this life I lead. And, while I love my husband to pieces, I do not look to him to be my everything.
*You are responsible for the energy you create for yourself and the energy you bring to others*: I try to constantly be aware of this- especially about the energy that I bring to others. This is so important and our society with it's politics has strayed so far from caring about other people's feelings.
*Newton's Law: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction*: Karma's a bitch. I've been on each side of karma and it is one of the best rules to live by in my opinion. What you shell out comes back at you, ten fold.
*Know the difference between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing you are worthy of being happy*: this is an awkward and confusing thing I continue to deal with... I'm knowing a little more each day.
*Do you see me? Do you hear me? Does anything I say mean anything to you?*: every single person on the face of this planet needs a little validation every once and a while. Whether it be a child who sits alone in class and acts up just because he wants a little attention or a wife and mother who raises kids, cleans the house, pays the bills, runs the errands, and puts herself last. We all need validation to show us that we are seen, we are heard and that we mean something to you.
*Be still and know*: Be still and listen to what the God (or your version of that one higher being) is telling you and know that everything is happening the way it should. It may just be a whisper telling you that something isn't quite right about a certain situation. Or, it may be a whole brick wall falling on top of you that stops you in your tracks. But, your hearing that whisper for a reason and that brick wall fell on top of you for a reason.
So, obviously, I'm a fan. She will go down in history as an amazing woman and I will be able to tell my grandchildren about her impact on the world and on me. And, for that, I am grateful.
Here's hoping the world listens a little more to what The Oprah Winfrey Show has said in the last 25 years. We would be much better people if that were the case.
xo,
Chrissi
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