I've met some pretty incredible women and Rimma is someone I will never forget.
Rimma is someone I met during a December shoot and like many, she showed up on time and excited about the day in front of her. She had no idea what to expect but she was willing to let me work my magic.
What stuck out most that day was that her husband attended the event. As most women I meet are sadly widowed and it was such a pleasure to have him attend and watch her get ready. Rimma even managed to talk him into getting in a few shots with her.
Once he did, it was then that her eyes really lit up and her true smile shined brighter than it had ALL day. Ever since then, I have jokingly dubbed them "The Notebook Couple" --- 1.) Because in my head they 100% remind of my favorite movie characters and 2.) Let's face it these 2 love birds had that same irrevocable and undeniable sense of love between them.
That said, as more events went on and I'd return to Vi each month, I noticed Rimma always made it a point to come down to say "hello!"
Each time she'd see me she would thank me again for her experience and more often than not, she'd bring me pockets full of beautifully wrapped Polish candies.
Going into our February event. I figured it would be no different and at some point, Rimma would peak her head from around the corner (bright-eyed and bushy-tailed) and come in to relish and rehash her favorite memories about her day.
However, this day was different
Rimma did in fact come in, but this time she wanted to share with me a story. As the event was winding down she grabbed my arm and said, " I want to share with you something..."
So we sat and I listened.
Rimma then began to tell me about how her Birthday was coming up and she'd like to print off and enlarge some of her favorite photos of herself and with her husband. I, of course, said yes and that I'd be happy to help and we sat there and went through her online gallery and picked a few fan favorites. While doing this, she began to tell me about how her last Birthday went and how this one was going to be totally different...
"Last year, I found out that I had a terminal lung disease and I spent my Birthday in a hospital. I was so scared of this news and from that point on, I haven't felt like myself. Being attached to this oxygen machine is something that I wasn't ready for and I didn't know how hard (and different) this year was going to be for me..."
Rimma went on to tell me that she's spent this year deeply regretting having to wear that darn machine. I could tell by her emotions it was still very raw and that it bothered her that day as much as it did when she initially found out. To her, I think she feels this little machine has the ability to strip her from her beauty and most importantly, her freedom.
Rimma then said something so sweet.
"The day I spent with you was like a dream. A dream within a dream. For a moment I took off my oxygen mask and I just got to be me. Not a lady who is disabled. Not a lady who is hooked up to a machine. I just got to be "ME". And being able to feel like "ME" again is the best gift you can ever give someone, it's literally like living a dream."
Now, I've thought about this a lot since this day and I've tried to relate this to my own life or perhaps how others feel.
I think often in life, we're all struggling somehow with justing trying to be OK with ourselves. Pressures come from all sorts of angles...
- be the "PERFECT mom"
- the "HOT wife"
- the "TOP colleague"
- the "BEST friend"
- the <insert whatever you get pressures to be>
But what IF..... just for a few moments... we could all take off our "invisible mask of pressures" and just be ourselves?
Just 100%, good old, authentically, and irrevocably ourselves?!
If I had to guess, wouldn't that feel similar to taking a breath of fresh air?
Now, mayyyyybe this is a stretch. However to me, that a lesson that I can see here. And as I continue to try and grow from this project,. here is something new that I am going to try each day:
Find a moment each day to reflect on how GREAT the CURRENT version of you is. Remind yourself that you are as good TODAY as you were YESTERDAY. And TOMORROW you're going to be just as good, if not better, because of the things you learned TODAY. Repeat to yourself the words. I am a dream. I am living the dream and I'm not ever going to wake up to the idea that I am anything LESS.
Rimma asked if she could share more of her thoughts with you as she hopes to inspire anyone that doesn't think they "are good enough" to do something like this - as she'd like to assure you that YOU ARE. .
XOXO,
The Glama Project