#7 I'm the Queen of the Castle

If you know anything about me, you probably know that I'm obsessed with musical theater. So obsessed that I perform an average of 5 shows a week from the comfort of my own kitchen. I'm a one-woman singing and dancing set of shenanigans. Let me just say though... neither my kids nor my dogs enjoy the shows.

In hindsight, going to see Six: The Musical shouldn't have been my 7th scary thing. It should have been my 6th. Opportunity missed. I should also mention that seeing the musical was not the scary thing. Not in the least. I would see it a million more times if I could (it's in my top 5 favorite musicals for sure!). Scary thing #7 was creating my own costume inspired by the costumes in the show. And then wearing that costume. In public. At the show. Where people might look at me like I'm nuts.

A good friend had invited me to the show and I was ecstatic. I'd been wanting to see it for a long time and it was especially meaningful to see it with another strong woman. I'm not sure why the idea for the costume popped into my head, but being that I'm a craft-a-holic with an endless amount of DIY supplies, I set to work. I made studded shirt sleeves, got decked out in gold chains, and wore a homemade crown. Let's be real, I looked a bit ridiculous. But it was fun. And a little girl in the lobby pointed at me and exclaimed to her mom, "Look! Mom! One of the queens!" Cue all the feels.

As little kids, we loved dressing up in costumes. But then somewhere along the line we were told to grow up and stop playing pretend. It's an awful shame because those little kid versions of ourselves didn't care what other people thought of our costumes or our dreams. We just existed in our own little imaginative worlds. As the queens in Six show us, there's so much more to life than being worried about what other people think of us. Especially what other women think of us. There's this unfortunate narrative that so often gets spun of women having to compete with each other. It's a real downer because we're truly so much stronger together. I think that's why I love Six so much. It's about women coming together to support each other through some of the worst times in their lives. And there is immense power in that.

At the end of the day, the only reason why anyone even remembers King Henry VIII is because of his six wives. His six strong, courageous, intelligent wives. So remember, next time your crown slips, readjust it and hold your head high. You are a queen. Act like it.