Eat dessert first...(or quote of the day!)

"be glad of life,
because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbor’s except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends…and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit. These are little guideposts on the footpath to peace." -henry van dyke

dear friends, I know it's a long one today, but this quote is so delicious I had to share it. Take it with you this weekend. Enjoy.

fully,
RR

Colleen's Flavor!

She writes,
"Cinnamon*
You know, I wasn't sure how to answer that without sounding cliche. It is the first thing that came to mind like when people ask you what animal you would be.. Maybe it has something to do with my red hair or the fact that cinnamon is not too overpowering, but also has a strong kick at the same time~"

You know, this is why I love asking this question? Because I NEVER would have thought of cinnamon! When I asked this question to Colleen, she answered without even a hesitation. She knew. It was exciting to me--it reassured me that we all KNOW who we are. Instinctually, we have a sense of our true selves--Now, it's life that gets in the way, drives us off course and clouds our true understandings of who we really are.

As my dear friend, Mary once said, "Get outta my way, Life!"

I say we take a moment today, get quiet, and remind ourselves of who we truly are without the clutter of who we think we "should" be.

Strip it away and bathe in the wholeness of you. YOU are perfect, whatever flavor you are.

bodaciously,
RR.

I'm not complaining!!!

I'm always up for a challenge. You tell me I can't do something and I will try extra extra hard to make it happen. Aren't we all like that? That's why I love the challenge of giving up something important for Lent. I usually give up sweets (my personal kryptonite).

This year, in the Rocky Road spirit of bettering myself, I decided to give up something that has become second nature to me. Something that has crept so deeply into my daily dialogue, I don't even know it when I do it and when I don't.

COMPLAINING.

...and this is how I feel about it:


Now since I know I'm not supposed to, it's all I can think of doing. Why is that? I think it's because I'm now aware how often complaints come out of my mouth. Like every other sentence. And I've realized that it's crazy to think I can go 40 days without any sort of groan, however I don't think it's crazy to catch myself whenever they rear their ugly heads. I'm also confident my friends will keep me in line. For example, my recent Facebook status was:

"Just gave up complaining for lent.. It's going to be a long 40 days.."

and my first response from my darling friend was:

"Is that your last complaint? xo"

Thanks, Aliza.

I think it would be super cool if we all became more aware of what comes out of our mouths. Choose the good. I'm doing my best--I hope you all will the same..

abundantly,
RR

The Gold Medal...

I've been obsessed with watching everything I can on the Olympics this year. Usually, I catch something here and there, but this time around I am glued right to the TV for everything from Cross Country Racing to Ice Dancing.

It's very simple. I want to be an Olympian.

And because I haven't trained in let's say, skeet shooting my whole life, I've decided I want to be an "Olympian of Life". What do you think of that title? Ok ok, I know it's a silly name, but I think it rings true for most of us out there--
We want to have passion about what we do and love doing it.

So what is that to you?
It's too easy to let the inertia of life get in the the way of our dreams. Explore your passions, figure out what really excites you, and GO FOR IT. Life is too short to do anything but that. And for everyone out there who hasn't figured out their passion yet, look at your friendships, relationships, family--your passion might be in keeping those relationships strong and healthy. Passion doesn't have to be some activity, or talent to hone. A passion to love hard and live well is just as valid as someone's passion to be a ballerina. The key is to look within yourself and consciously create a life that you LOVE.

As "Life Olympians", we have to realize that the training is not judging yourself or your life, comparing it to others, or looking down on the choices we've made in the past. It's about constantly looking forward, waking up and making choices that make us more fun, interesting, and alive women.

xoxo,
RR

Eat dessert first...(or quote of the day!)

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." -Coco Chanel

**Gabrielle Bonheur "Coco" Chanel (19 August 1883 – 10 January 1971) was a pioneering French fashion designer. She was the founder of the famous fashion brand Chanel. Her extraordinary influence on fashion was such that she was the only person in the field to be named on TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Thank you, Coco for blazing the trail for every woman who wants to make her mark.

xoxo,
RR.



**courtesy of wikipedia.org

This is a Very Special Day!

I'm so excited to feature our second lovely lady! She is ah-mazing! She's a firecracker, free-thinker, artist, and truly succulent young woman. I want to be like Kaydee when I grow up!




"ok..i guess i would have to say neopolitan because there are different sides to me i dont conform to whats popular or convenient at the moment. Saying that, i have to say the chocolate side of me is sweet a little bit naughty and everyone loves me. I am one of the few clinically proven aphrodisiacs. (: Sometimes I can seem a little hard, but show warmth when I melt. While the strawberry side to me is colorful, optionated, competative, easy going, empathetic, and very creative. And finally the vanilla in me is an original, impulsive, risk taker, an over achiever, compatiable with everyone, and a one of a kind type of girl."

You are so cool. Thanks, girl.

xoxo,
RR.

Falling in love...

Happy Valentines Day!
It is absolutely one of my favorite days of the year. Nothing is more wonderful than celebrating LOVE!

Guess who I love so much?

MYSELF!

Ladies, let's all start there. Loving yourself (the good, the bad, and the ugly) is the base of friendships and relationships. It is the primary love needed to live the life you want to live.

Let your beloved be yourself.

Let your beloved be yourself.

You. Are. Beloved.

xoxo,
RR.

Adrienne's Flavor!

"I'm mint chocolate chip! I feel like I'm refreshing and easy going, but have these "chocolate bits" of richness to me. I'm fun to be around, however when it matters, I feel like I make the right decision. It's something I've always admired about myself."

Adrienne, you rock.

The cool girls...

Who are the cool girls? We are, of course. The girls who know that being "cool" is about the whole package. About realizing that self confidence is a full time job with huge amount of responsibilities...and are up for the challenge!

When you look in the mirror who do you see? Someone who is honest, funny, interesting? Or is it a girl who gossips, back-stabs, and bullies? Don't you want to be proud of who you are? I say, YES! So--celebrate if you see a girl looking back at you that you admire. And if not, make the change. Look inside yourself and really figure out what makes you act the way you do.

See it this way: Self confidence is liking all parts of you BECAUSE you're proud of the way you live your life. It's not about just thinking you're awesome--you have to be awesome.

"Pretty is as pretty does". It's an oldie but goodie, ladies.

The world expects a lot from us because:

We have decided to be magnificent.

We have decided to be our own leader.

Let's stop confusing self confidence with ego, and cockiness. We must earn our title. Daily.

Authentic self confidence will be your shield and your voice of reason. It will be your armor when faced with people who don't possess it. And it will be the voice inside your head reminding you to make the right choice BECAUSE THAT IS THE WOMAN YOU'VE DECIDED TO BE.

It's a big deal, ladies. Who's up for it?

This is a very special day!

We at Rocky Roadville are bubbling over with excitement! Today we are featuring our very first young lady! The Magnificent Mackenzie. We are so honored to have her here. She is a warrior. I'm awed by her strength and resilience. Let her be a role model to us all.



"I have decided that my flavor is Rocky Road. It kind of describes my life in a nutshell with the ups and downs of life. But with a little faith, family and friends you can get through anything...and it is amazing."

Thank you, Mackenzie. You are very special. xoxo.

Mary's Flavor

"I am Rainbow Sherbert because I am Tangy and colorful and all mixed up!"


Rainbow Sherbert! I love it! Thank you Mary! Oh, to be tangy and colorful.....

New Addition!

I added two new pages onto blog Rocky Road! Look to your right!

"What is your Flavor?" - "What is your Word?"

They were inspired by a recent conversation I had with one of my favorite young women, Anndee. We were discussing her flavor and realized there were just too many options to think of, let alone chose from. It's like we needed a list (of at least some of them) in front of us to help decide--so here it is!

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The "What is your Word?" page is exciting because it will get you thinking. I think you should make yourself crazy familiar with all the words on the list. A sundae of all those descriptive adjectives makes for a spectacular "Rocky Road" type of gal. I also highly recommend creating your own definitions.

There will be words that speak to you more than others. "Succulent" is the one for me. It was introduced to me by the author SARK. SARK is a brilliant poet, writer, free spirit who's written nearly 25 best selling books. Her definition of succulent is:
"ripe. juicy. whole.
round. exuberant. wild.
rich. wide. deep. firm.
rare. female.
She writes, " Choosing Succulence is a deliberate act of Personal Revolution. It means waking up, embracing your true self, studying your patterns, and letting out your most alive self."

Who wouldn't want to be succulent?

This word has helped define the way I've lived my life for years. It brings me back to life when I'm slipping into Vanilla"dom" and reminds me of my unique opportunity to make my life count.

Ask yourself, "What is my word?" What word excites, inspires, and tickles me? Use it often. Include it into your daily conversations. Make it mean something.

Succulently,
RR.

Harnessing our power

My unbelievable sister sent me a link this morning. A piece spoken at the TED India Conference by the impressive Eve Ensler (founder of V-DAY, a movement to end violence towards girls; writer of the Vagina Monologues, The Good Body, and many more..).

It is what we call in Rocky Roadville, "Required Reading". You must read it. I am overwhelmed by her words.

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(CNN) -- The future is "girl." Imagine girl is a cell that each of us -- boys and girls -- are born with. Imagine this girl cell is central to the evolution of our species and an assurance of the continuation of the human race.

Now imagine that a few powerful people, invested in owning this world, understood that the oppression of this cell was key to retaining their power, so they reinterpreted this cell, undermining its value and making us believe that it is weak. They initiated a process to crush, eradicate, annihilate, humiliate, belittle, censor, reduce and kill off the girl cell.

This was called patriarchy.

Imagine girl is a chip in the huge microcosm of our collective consciousness, which is essential to the balance, wisdom and future of humanity.

Imagine that girl is the part of each of us that feels compassion, empathy, passion, intensity, association, relationship, emotion, play, resistance, vulnerability, intuitive intelligence, vision.
Imagine that compassion informs wisdom. That vulnerability is our greatest strength. That emotions have inherent logic and lead to radical saving action.

Now remember that those in power essentially taught us and conditioned us to believe the opposite:

Compassion clouds your thinking.

Vulnerability is weakness.

Emotions are not to be trusted.

Don't take things personally.

To be a boy means not to be a girl.

To be a man means not to be a girl.

To be strong means not to be a girl.

To be a woman means not to be a girl.

To be a leader means not to be a girl.

It must be very powerful to be a girl if everyone Is taught not to be one.

Having traveled the planet for 12 years, visiting more than 60 countries and living in the rape mines of the world, I have been with girls. I have witnessed their realities.

I have seen girls with knife wounds and cigarette burns, treated like garbage, beaten by their brothers and fathers and boyfriends and mothers, starving themselves to death to look the way they are supposed to look -- which is close to invisible.

We are so accustomed to prohibiting girls from being the subjects of their own life that we have turned them into objects: commodities in the marketplace, bodies to be bought and sold and plundered and married off or raped in war. Buying a girl is cheaper than buying a cow in many places.

I have been with boys as well, watched as they have been ridiculed, censored and abused for their tenderness, their doubts, their grief, their need for comfort and protection. I have seen how the tyranny of masculinity has forced boys and then men to cut off their hearts and cast them into a brutal, lonely state of disassociation and isolation.

The state of girl, the condition of girl -- in the world and in us -- will determine if this species survives.

I believe unleashing the intensity of girl, the outrage of girl, the passion of girl, is the only way to chip away the thick sludge of denial, oppression and indifference that has led to our insane acceptance of a world spinning us toward our end.

What I have witnessed across this planet is the wild natural resiliency, fierceness, grace and nobility of girl.

The girl cell is our greatest resource, a renewable, untapped energy field like the wind. It is there for us, if we activate it and allow it to resist, dare, challenge, feel and connect.

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Our very first flavor!

My extraordinarily sparkly friend, Kate, wrote:

"My flavor: Strawberry
Everyday elegance
Sweet, smart and refreshing in a slightly old-fashioned way...
Like an afternoon social when you're wearing your favorite dress - but you'll end up sprawled out on the grass with friends and your pretty shoes long gone.

Yes, I am Strawberry. "

Isn't this fantastic?

There is something marvelous about looking forward to something. Don't you agree? With all the instant gratification out there, last minute plans are made and broken without so much as a nod of acknowledgement. Dates with my friend Kate, however, are diligently planned to avoid such catastrophes. As a result, I end up seeing her more than I do other friends. Writing a "where and when" into my schedule automatically makes it a priority. I make it happen.

The subject of keeping up friendships has been weighing on me the last few days. It must be why I chose to feature Kate's contribution.

I've never wanted any "fair weather" friends in my life. I want "crappy weather" friends. I want friends who will be there for me when I'm struggling and need support the most. And luckily, I have them. What I'm learning is that friendships like that need upkeep.

It seems so simple.

But I am guilty of taking these rare relationships for granted, assuming they'll stay healthy without nourishment. It is not so. And ultimately I know that my friendships deserve more.

Today I vow to let my dear friends know what they mean to me. I intend to fill my schedule with those who feed my soul. I challenge you to do the same. Let's all channel out inner strawberry and make happen the "where's" and "when's" necessary to keep our friendships whole.