Unbroken

"I just want them to know they didn’t break me."

~ Andie from “Pretty in Pink”

I've been thinking a lot about this quote lately as I approach my 50th birthday.  I must have seen "Pretty in Pink" at least a dozen times back in 1986, the year I turned 21 and transferred to college out of town.  In the months before I moved away, I remember I going to the late show on 41st Ave all by myself and stopping at the 24-hour donut shop afterward for a maple-glazed donut.  It was a magical time in my life, and the little John Hughes movie taught me so much about myself. 

The above quote has resonated with me all of these 29 years and never more than recently.  I have been feeling a bit down about some of the circumstances in my life ~ the feelings of sadness wash over me ~ as I still manage to maintain my serenity and overall happiness.

The mentally nauseous feeling of being judged by near strangers.  This is not how I want to live my life.  So I simply cut my hair and put on a pink dress ~ go out into the world and say to myself, 

"I just want them to know they didn't break me."