How is it that we can drive by something a thousand times on the way to work or school and never notice it was there? I was talking to a friend of mine about this, and he said, “there has to be some kind of meaning behind this.” He was right, there has to be meaning in it, and I wondered what else we are missing right in front of us and why. Is it because we are too wrapped up in ourselves, our thoughts, our worries, our fears, and our phones to see that everything we need or want or even dream of having is right there in front of us within arms reach. Are we afraid to reach for it? Maybe it’s our soulmate, or a job, or an answer, or a purpose. Perhaps it’s been right there all along, and we need new eyes to see it, a heart to connect to it, and a mind to be open to it. And why are we so disconnected? Are we are so busy critiquing a response to something that the realness of who we are is diminished out of fear we won’t say the right thing. Or perhaps we are moving so fast through life that we miss the real excitement or opportunity. Maybe we would all take more risks if we didn’t let our fear of failure cloud our ability to feel the wholeness and emotion of what is happening in real-time. Do we lack the belief that every closed door or missed opportunity is meant to be felt and experienced fully to give us our true purpose? Gandhi said, “I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following.” In other words, “take care of this moment” Isn’t that what the metaphor of driving past something and never noticing represents? Our preoccupation of imaging future problems, or reflecting on past failures and missing the very moment we have control of and perhaps missing the very thing we are yearning for or are in search of. Maybe when you get your morning coffee or tea, the person you have been searching for might be right in line in front of you, or the opportunity you are yearning for is waiting for you to see it, or the purpose for your life recognizes who you are. 

I was cleaning out a box at my house this week, getting ready to move. The box had remained in the closet since I had moved into this house ten years prior. I had never wanted to dig through it and for different reasons, but whatever the underlying causes were, I never opened the box until this week. I sat cross-legged on the floor and went through journals, newspaper clippings, and photos. As I dug through everything, reading my journals in awe of the connected dots in the last ten years, I spotted a red box. I could feel my heartbeat a bit faster. I reached for the box and opened it; tears filled my eyes. It was the bracelet I had looked for in drawers, cabinets, and shelves for the last ten years. I had searched before I went out in the evening, early in the morning or in the middle of the night, always wondering what had happened to it. It wasn’t the value of the bracelet that kept me searching but the meaning attached to the day it was given to me. All that searching and It had been 15 feet from me-it was right there all along. 

We are launching The British Holiday Collection this Tuesday at noon! For everyone asking for red Erica Skirts, Cece Tops, and Pixie Tops, they are here! We know the navy Erica Skirt sold out fast but don’t worry, we have more navy coming in a beautiful pearl shine. And my favorite Nicole Skirt in Tartan Shimmer and Scorpion Avery Cardigan finally arrived! Grab it all this week! 

We will have an Instagram live Giveaway to launch the collection Tuesday at 5:00. I can’t wait to give our KOCH Community an Erica Skirt, Cece Top, and lots more!! I am also excited to talk about things we are working on, thinking about, and designing this week. 

Fayetteville, here we come, and it’s gonna be a blast. Come see us on October 14th and 15th. 

Lastly, we have a Joydrop coming your way in Starkville, Auburn, and Tuscaloosa. 

Quote of the week: "The opportunity you are yearning for is waiting for you to see it, or the purpose for your life recognizes who you are."

Podcast of the week: Alicia Keys on Permission To Be Yourself and The Gift of Saying No.