The real deal

Moroccan oil. Egyptian cotton thread counts. All kinds of product endorsements through songs, celebrity swag and placement on the big screen. But then you go to Winners and find multiple hair products for 1/8th of the price, all stating to be the real deal. Ridiculous thread counts boast of 5000 for the softest sheets ever...even though research has shown such numbers don't even exist.

Sometimes when I'm reflecting on what to write for my next blog, different ideas swirl around in my head, and I get a rush of excitement when I can combine multiple thoughts into a coherent concept.

I received a message on Friday evening. It was from a particular client who I had photographed her newborn session months back. We have done a lot of work with this group of friends, most of whom are married and I completely forgot that she wasn't. When I read the words Guess what??, I quickly did the math and realized there was no way she could be pregnant again.

Guess what???? I'm getting marrieddddddd!!!!!! Ahhhh!! Just happened today but I knew I needed to message you right away to find out what dates you still have for 2013 and if any dates are booked for 2014? I'm not getting married unless you take my photos so let's make it work! I know your prices. You're worth every penny.

As far as clients go...this girl is the real deal. She is not price shopping around. She is not waiting until the last minute to decide amongst multiple vendors. She knows what she wants and goes after it. Like, immediately after getting engaged. I found her message to be the biggest compliment. 

Friends of ours invited us to their condo last night for an authentic Moroccan themed evening. We arrived to our downtown Toronto Tridel rental guest suite they arranged for us and spent the day Christmas shopping. The Bay downtown was full of hustle and bustle. There seemed to be an even more unusual hustle, screeching to the tune of Justin Bieber himself. We braved the freezing cold weather as cabs ignored and bypassed us (God I miss Toronto sometimes) and walked what felt like 100 blocks back to our suite, through tweenaged screams of excitement to see the Beebs.

When we arrived to King and Bathurst, we were greeted with warm hugs, the grand tour and a delicious drink. The chalkboard listed what we were to dine on...which smelled of exotic heaven. We have carried on a friendship ever since we were to be sister in laws at one point. Neither of us remained in that family but what did remain was a solid friendship withstanding space, place and time. Nothing changes when we get together. Well, except our hair and of course our ever-crescending age. And our discard of bad bad men. Drinks, apps, more drinks, dessert, turkish coffee and finally the hookah was smoked. We were spoiled from the moment we arrived and chided to sit back down when offering to help. These hosts were the real deal.

Everyone who knows me knows I'm quite an all or nothing person which sometimes is to blame for my rash decisions. In the long run, it's always the right decision personally, because while others can maintain a plethora of acquaintance-type relationships and do so quite well, I feel that there are too many areas of life where we must be on. We are on at work, with clients, family, social functions, political functions, school functions...well, you get the point.

I'm the type of person, I will give you my all once you have earned my trust. Not everyone is like me. And I need to learn that's okay. Once, I was in my jammies all settled in with my husband watching our favourite show when I got a random text message from a girl I met once claiming marital problems. I dropped everything, drove over there, much to the chagrin of my husband and tried to fix everything until well past midnight. Michael asked me why I do these things for people I barely know. I get inundated with messages from people asking for my advice on fashion, personal issues and relationship troubles. I'm half asleep and jump out of bed to answer. Because I feel, I'm the real deal. I will do anything for you if you have my heart. You know the kind of people that are your in case of emergency contacts? Solid and reliable people that, if you were locked in the trunk of a car wouldn't respond two days later, but would be on the phone with the police immediately?  That's me. My mistakes have been spreading myself too thin for everyone and when you give 10% to everyone, instead of 100% to a few, you end up with an unbalanced ratio that makes you a shitty friend. Because you don't have the time for the people that count. And you've made time for the ones who don't.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. 

May you be blessed with 20/20 vision from here on in, friends and clients who know your worth, and really soft sheets worth the money that make them the real deal.

Love,

Wendy