Break, Bruise, or Bounce?

It really isn't an urban myth that women congregate in bathrooms. We do. And aside from talking stall-to-stall (which I can't deal with, ps), when you have multiple women washing their hands, fluffing their hair and applying lipstick in front of each other, conversations are bound to break out.

So while having one of those "in public" moments while washing my hands, fluffing (well, I say scrunching) the curls and checking to see if my Tom Ford needed another swipe, this fierce African-American woman says to me, "Those jeans actually fit you!"

Imagine my surprise at the opening line to that convo!

Without missing a beat, we begin chatting like old high school girlfriends, discussing the evolution of denim for those of us in the curvy persuasion. She, too, is wearing denim and says, "Now, look. These fit everywhere but here," referring to "the gap" in the back. And then, she looks me dead in the eye and says, "Not everyone is flat. I'm real, and I have curves. At least I won't break when I fall ... I might bruise, or even bounce, but I won't break."

And that is when I immediately burst into hysterics! Here we were, drying our hands in the restroom, kibitzing over the fit of our clothing, swapping shopping stories, and we both laughed. Like, out loud, validating, high-five laughter!

As we said our goodbyes she says, "You know, I was told recently to smile at a stranger at least once a day to help brighten the world." Lord, she brightened my day!

I walked away with three thoughts: 1. never underestimate the power of validation, 2. never underestimate the power of well-fitting denim, and 3. do you break, bruise, or bounce when you fall down?

xx JN