Facing Challenges

 

Challenges are opportunities for growth, which makes it important to step outside of one's comfort zone every now and then.

Recently I overcame a tremendous personal challenge: I ran my first marathon last month! (Hence the lack of blogging in May.) For those of you who are unfamiliar, a marathon is 26.2 miles (or 42.19 kilometers). I finished in 4 hours, 28 minutes, 47 seconds.

Although exercise and fitness (particularly running), are some of my hobbies, I was unsure if I should blog about this accomplishment on Classy Local. As this is more of a lifestyle blog, I wasn't sure how this connects to my focus on living a chic and refined life. Anyone who's ever run or witnessed a marathon knows that refined, chic, and classy are not the best ways to describe distance runners, particularly those in the middle of a grueling endurance event.

But, living a chic or refined life does not necessarily mean living a life of perpetual ease or harmony. Rather, it reflects the attitude with which you approach all aspects of ordinary life— especially the challenging moments.

A Word on Size

Confidence is one's greatest asset in finding and maintaining a chic style, regardless of size or weight.

Size is, as is style, an immensely personal matter—everyone has his or her own standards of what looks best and at what size one feels most comfortable. Sometimes we give ourselves unrealistic expectations in regard to our dream weight or size, which may not always align with what doctors would consider a healthy weight. As somebody who has been naturally thin for most of my life, it sometimes feels a little awkward for me to dispense advice on weight or size. I offer this advice not to criticize or condone people who are over- (or under-) weight or struggling with their size, but rather as someone trying to give advice on how to look your best, regardless of weight, size, or shape.

As every chic woman knows, confidence is one's greatest asset. When it comes to clothing size, your best weight will reflect a balance between your feelings toward and ability to maintain your current size. Sure, it may be easier to stay at a larger size, but how do you feel about it? Or perhaps you love your smaller size, but how difficult is it to maintain that weight? Your happy size is often a compromise between one where you feel you look your best and one that you can realistically and comfortably maintain.

Hosting Lessons from Germany

 

The French aren't the only ones who understand comme il faut. 

French women get all the credit when it comes to throwing chic parties and entertaining.

Perhaps one of the most familiar gurus of French living is Mireille Guiliano, author of “French Women Don’t Get Fat.” This book was released in 2004 and quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list. Clearly, we fat Americans are hungry for some cultural nourishment.

Yet most of my experience in living well comes from my German relatives. My mother's mother, Gertrude, immigrated from Germany in the summer of 1948. Fortunately, I still have relatives in Germany that I visit every few years. These visits are what kindled my interest in travel, culture, language, beer, food, and so much more.

One of the things that I remember about my grandmother, who passed away when I was 10 years old, is her understanding of there being a "right" way to do things. I was too young to identify whether or not she was a perfectionist (my mother would probably say yes, yes she was), but I remember things were done very deliberately in her home. There were certain expectations and unwritten rules to follow. A lot of these rules revolved around how you treat other people when they are in your home. Although I have many memories of how Grandma (we did not call her Oma) liked to do certain things, there are two very important concepts that I especially remember and that I try to practice today.