It’s ironic that, now as the mother of three sons, I was such a girly-girl growing up. Probably not unlike most girls of my generation, I had a white bedroom set adorned with painted pink roses, read my “Little House on the Prairie” book series over and over, loved watching old reruns of “I Dream of Jeannie,’ and “Bewitched,” and secretly wanted to be one of “Charlie’s Angles.” And, like most girls, I was a huge fan of Disney movies, although I held a singular fascination with any Disney character lucky enough to have what I considered to be the accessory of all accessories.
Nope … not shoes. (Although, please … you and I both know I would not have turned my nose up at a pair of glass slippers.)
I had bigger things in mind.
Way bigger.
I wanted a magic wand.
I was truly fascinated with magic wands, and, at my young age, savvy enough to know that not all wands were created equal … some trailed fairy dust, or even emitted sparks or little gold stars when you waved them. Surely these were the Jimmy Choos of magic wands … for somehow, I just knew that only the strongest, most powerfully magical wands were given to a more elite group of wand holders.
Throughout my magic wand phase, I was preoccupied with all one could actually do with a wand. Was the magic in the wand, or did the powers of the wand holder create the actual magic … or, a combination of the two? Could some wands only cast spells, while others were able to actually conjure things … like horse-drawn pumpkin carriages or glass slippers? And … how, exactly, did one obtain a wand? Did you have to be lucky enough to be born into a magical family, then automatically get a wand by default, or were they somehow earned? Did you have to go to school to learn how to use it, then pass exams? I literally spent hours contemplating such things.
Heady stuff for a 7 year old.
Now that I’m officially a grownup, (although, let’s be honest … does one ever really feel like a grown up??) I, like everyone else, put magic and fairy tales in their proper context. I used to think that magic, in all it’s various forms, belonged in the category of make believe … you know, the stuff of fairy tales. But, as I readily admit that I’ve really not quite written off Santa just yet (http://tinyurl.com/mzcjwpq), now that I have Fabulous Shoe Night in my life, I have come to see that magic actually does exist … 100%.
You just have to know where to look for it.
It didn’t take a great leap of imagination to realize that we at Fabulous Shoe Night are actually wielding magic wands of our very own. While we haven’t sprouted wings and don’t sprinkle fairy dust, we do create magic by granting wishes and making a true difference in the lives of others. And if that’s not magic ... what is?
When I think back over all the events we’ve held, I just can’t deny that a true element of magic has existed. I’ve written, more than once in this blog, that there is the undeniable aura of happiness … a tangible glow or vibe, borne of bringing women together with the intent of goodwill and helping others. I refer to it as that “pink, happy glow” I see so often lingering in the air at FSN events. It’s there, and you don’t have to look too far to see it … and feel it.
I certainly felt like I had a magic wand when I saw the picture my Philadelphia chapter leader texted me of a nine year old inner-city boy trying on the new shoes he received as the result of one of our events. His joy, and million dollar smile, literally leapt off the screen. Or filling the cart at a Target store in Las Vegas with toys, clothes, coats and shoes for underprivileged children, knowing that because of our event, the non-profit we helped wouldn’t have to cross the names of older children off their list due to lack of funds, as they originally feared.
I feel like I have a wand when I go to our events and see women greet someone they met at a previous FSN event as a friend … because now they are friends. Or when I tell the representative of the charity we held an event for the amount of the donation they’ll be receiving from us, and see tears well up in her eyes as she says, “That will feed 100 families fresh, locally grown produce for six months.”
I felt the true magic of a wand when I read the poignant, tear-inducing letters of thanks written by women fighting cancer, thanking us for the wig they received … the one they thought they couldn’t afford and would have to pass up in place of a head scarf. The magic even extends to my chapter leaders when they tell me, eyes and face glowing with happiness, how wonderful it feels to know that the events they organize in their communities not only help others, but that FSN has filled a void in their own hearts to do more, that “something extra” that motherhood or a career just couldn’t fill, that lingering, yet insistent need to do “something that really matters.”
Literally every event we have held has contained this similar element of magic, and I could give multiple examples similar to those above that happened at, or because of, our events. But the common thread among them all is that the very act of giving, along with the accompanying emotions of love, happiness, camaraderie and just knowing you’re gathered together to do good for a greater cause, all have a way of multiplying exponentially. That is where the real magic lies ... in giving. Throw in fabulous shoes, paired with cocktails and appetizers in a room of like-minded women, and you can almost see the faint pink, sparkly glow of fairy dust settling on the shoulders of everyone present. Magic!
How wonderful to see that a seemingly impossible childhood dream in an intangible thing called magic, that “doesn’t exist,” has a way of coming true in the most round-about, unexpected ways. I see now that I not only have a wand in the form of Fabulous Shoe Night, but now feel like perhaps I’m also a purveyor of wands. Through the expansion of new chapters, Fabulous Shoe Night is empowering women with the ability to grant wishes and make dreams come true themselves, in their own communities … not with a flick of their wrist or wave of an actual wand, but with our FSN events benefiting the non-profit of their choice. We help them create magic by training them to be a Fabulous Shoe Night chapter leader, and then stand back, let them loose and watch the sparks fly. And, oh ... how they fly!
The more I think of it, it becomes clear that these wands powerful enough to emit sparks actually are given out to that elite group I mentioned earlier, for these are the women who step up to the task. There is magic undoubtably running through their veins (does it look like glitter?), itching to get out, searching for that vehicle to let them finally unleash it. And, just like Cinderella’s glass slipper, Fabulous Shoe Night is the perfect fit.
So, as we at FSN headquarters are in expansion-mode, looking to open new chapters in other parts of the country, I realize we need to attract the right kind of women, which can be harder than it sounds. After all, one can't actually see the glitter running through someone's veins. After giving it considerable thought, I’m thinking that all that may really be needed is a heading on a want-ad, reading “Wand Holders Wanted.”
They’ll know it when they see it.
Follow us on Pinterest or Twitter @FabShoeNight
Want to open a Fabulous Shoe Night chapter (and create magic) in your area? Send an email to jennifer@fabulousshoenight.com
No comments:
Post a Comment