I Still Love Lucy

Probably more than any other person, Lucille Ball is my inspiration. I used to pretty much stay home from school just to watch the reruns of I Love Lucy that aired from 12-1. And if I had to go to school, I made sure to set the VCR to record them. I had dozens of VHS tapes on which I had recorded nearly all of the series and I would watch them again and again and study them.
Lucille Ball was a woman far ahead of her time. Truly the first lady of comedy and a leader for all women in the arts and business. She was the boss and an amazing creative force. Despite being drop dead gorgeous, she was never afraid to get dirty, look horrid, and just be amazingly hilarious. So much of who I am, what I do, and what I want to do is because of this sassy red head.
Today is Lucille Ball's birthday. And the best way to celebrate is to acknowledge why we should still love Lucy.
Here are some wonderful lessons from Lucy:


Maturity and witty comebacks are overrated. Sometimes the best response is

There is no such thing as overreacting.

 Always handle yourself well when you've accidentally had a bit too much.

Don't worry about how you look

Ballet or any kind of working out is hard.

Getting and keeping a job is awful.

But there's always chocolate.

It's ok to not be good in the kitchen.

A HUGE loaf of a bread? I don't really see a problem here.

It's also ok to admit you goofed. Again. And again.

Don't be afraid to take on the boys.

All you need is one true friend.

Because your true friend and you will survive petty fights.

And who else will be there for you when you get your head of poodle perm bangs stuck in an urn.

There's a clever art to playing hard to get

But know that there is someone who loves you.

Despite everything.

Try new things to keep life spicy.

Know the quiet, seductive power of bitch face and side eyes.

Don't be afraid to steal the show.

And most importantly-have fun!

Yes, from watching hours of I Love Lucy and its brilliant leading lady you get lots of laughs, life lessons, and inspirations. Go ahead, indulge in a marathon of it on Amazon Prime. It will make you forget that Orange is the New Black (or whatever the kids are watching nowadays) even exists.
Also, I recently learned that the Lucy Desi Museum in Jamestown, NY does a Lucille Ball Comedy Festival in August every year. The event has everything from Grape Stomping and Candy Wrapping competitions to live performances by comedians, including Jay Leno this year. You can also see shows and eat in the Tropicana Ballroom and take comedy classes at the Lucille Ball Comedy College or Desi Arnaz Congo Drumming Class. Yes to all of this. The festival is this coming weekend and I am currently developing a Lucy-like scheme to road trip there.

So here's to loving Lucy!

*Also in collecting these I Love Lucy images and gifs, I realized you could pretty much pair up these amazing Lucy moments with a matching image or gif from the train wreck Real Housewives. Look at the images above and think about it. It is upsetting and intriguing......I guess it is fitting as Lucy and Ethel were the original Housewives of NYC.