What's in a name?

Man oh man. I have changed quite a bit since I introduced myself on this blog nearly 3 years ago. So much - my outlook on life, my general attitude, and my personal style, to name a few - have greatly shifted. I am a firm believer that happiness is a mood, not a destination, and that you don't suddenly become happy, you learn how to be happy. And I have learned how to be happy in a way now that I could never have dreamed back then.

Because back then I was in a dead-end job, dating a guy who treated me like crap (a slew of them, actually) and I didn't know what drove me. And if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything. All I knew was that I wanted to write. Hence the birth of JGIWC.

Lately I've been trying to remind myself that even though I have grown up quite a bit, I don't want to completely discredit who I was back then - bright-eyed and well-intentioned and clueless. I can't beat myself up anymore for being the naive idealist I was and in many ways, still am and will always be.

So though much has altered, I still think the name suits me well. The Wasp's Clothing is still a-plenty, and though I'm decked out in a pink Lilly Pulitzer dress today, I must admit that my closet has made a lot of new friends - from Land's End to Lanvin. And whereas I would have called myself a prep back then, I wouldn't call myself one now. My style philosophy is far more classic and feminine than it is preppy and Waspy. That being said, I will always love my popped colors and printed shifts. Always.

The Jewish Girl is who I've always been. At this point in my life, however, it's not something that holds much precedence. Growing up, I was so immersed in my religion, having gone to a reform day school for ten years and being part of a close knit Jewish community in my high school years. In college, I decided I needed to branch out and opted for the All-American sorority. It was the right move for me and I haven't looked back since. Only now, I feel as though I'm an outsider and don't fit in. I have very few Jewish friends and feel much more at home at a sorority brunch or a Junior League meeting. I know that this will change when I get married and have [a] kid(s) and will inevitably meet the other Jewish parents at my child's JCC preschool. It's taken me a long time to be okay with this, but I get now that my connection to Judaism will fluctuate with the flow of my own days, years, experiences. I know that life happens in phases and I'm at a particular point in mine where I just cannot relate - especially in New York. Maybe it's just me, but I will never understand why women brag about being a 'JAP' (Jewish American Princess). Unless of course others view the term in a different context than I do, which is entirely possible.

(I'm going to get off my soap box now.)

I guess my main point is that I know where I've been, I'm very happy with where I am, and I have no idea what the future holds but I stand armed with my heart, my smile, and my Louboutins. And that no matter what happens or changes, I am and will always proudly be the Jewish Girl in Wasp's Clothing.