View From 16 Floors Above NYC- 5 Rules To Life

A few things to think about..... Wrote this years ago while working in New York City.


Morning dew falls on the grass to keep it refreshed for the new day. Taxi horns sound off and people teeter out for a day in the city. The sun has risen onto the concrete jungle and coffee aroma fills the cool air.
Here I sit, 16 floors above New York City, watching people run though the maze of life. Most in search of an "ordinary life". The expected nine to five, productive children, the savings account, and vacation photos to share with the neighbors . Most are comparative, complacent and unremarkable. What has made people so willing to exchange risk or potential for mediocrity?

Passion is defined as... A powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger. Warning, you can't seek passion, passion seeks you. It is the voice inside that says there must be more to life than this. Without it, you struggle to breathe, gasping for life. I often wonder how we get so out of touch with our passion or how we divorce ourselves from our hearts.

Time is the major thief to passion, don't let it steal yours.The years fly faster than you think. Passion may be discovered in an instant, or take many long years to uncover. You will know you have it when your heart of hearts speaks. "I don't care what other people think. I know this is what I want to do, and I am going to get started making it happen" .

In order to share your passion with others, you must be willing to stumble. Is there such a thing as failure or is it just learning what will not work for you? Think of all the inventions and success stories you know.There was a point where each of them wanted to give up and move on. Don't let that happen to you.

Finding your passion.....


1. Break Rules

Were there really any to start with? Eat something new for breakfast. Take a different route to work. Say hello to someone you never speak to. Spend your lunch time differently. Smile at others in the elevator, call someone you have not spoken to in a long time. I challenge you to do something new and change your routine. Transformation starts one day at a time.

2. Art is Therapy.

Color your passion. Buy a coloring book and crayons. Yes, this is not rocket science, it allows you to once again explore the world though the eyes of a child. A few pictures, you will feel the stress fall off. Trust me on this one. Paint sew,write anything creative will allow that little voice inside to speak via pictures.

3. Give of Yourself

Everyone has the same 24 hour day. Pick one hour to help someone else." What can I do in one hour? I barely have time to get something done for me." Yes, I hear you. Write a letter to a hero anysoldier.com or send a card volunteermatch.com is a great site and someone needs you.

4. Don't Move

When is the last time you noticed a cloud, admired a flower, and looked at nature? Mysteries are all around you, however, you might be to busy to see them. Before you go to bed, take a look at the stars and reflect about life. Think about the challenges you have overcome and all the achievements.

5. Broaden Your Horizons

There are so many ways to live and learn. Start a journal, take a free class, go to the library, watch educational TV . One thing the world can not take from you is knowledge and the power it holds. Now is the time to expand your mind and your passion. We are the product of what we take in, no more or less. If you don't have knowledge of something, how can you envision it?

Fast forward.... When it's all over and you're doing a life review. Are you going to be full of "should have, could have, and would have" disease? What will you see in your rear view mirror at the end of life?

Mermaid Poem

In the night I dwell.

Waiting for another day to return full of hope and promise.

Watching the light house and dreaming of far away yet so very close.

The sea is my world, I yearn for the life of man.

He wishes for the peace of the sea.

Will our worlds ever meet?

One day the old man in the sea shall rise and grant the wishes of many.

A world united for us both

In perfection the love of man shall rule and he will love himself in return.


Copyright © 2013 Robyne Highsmith. All Rights Reserved.

I Struggle to Stay Normal

Most people struggle to stay normal, if there is a true definition for it. What would it be like inside a “normal brain” for just one day? How would it feel to be someone else? Would their fears, pride and pain be the same as yours? People listen to our stories and are intrigued. We all see things in life from our own thread of reality.

There are days when you wake up with a feeling of disgust. Watch the news and want to wash all the darkness away. There is no shower that can clean off the sadness across the globe. There are no words to describe it; you have to feel pain to understand.

Every year I jump in the ocean and look for mermaids….. Is that a bad thing?

One year of Bell's Palsy-What I learned in the last year

 Dec 16,2012

It started as a terrible case of the Flu. A week of tissues and cold meds gave no relief. My ER visit diagnosis? A case of old age and bad flu. Treatment included, “This too shall pass; and don’t miss a flu shot next year.”

A week or so later, the feeling started to disappear in the left side of my face. Over a two-day period, my left side fell. Drooping eye and lip, and if that is not bad enough, all sense of taste disappeared. Why get out of bed, if you can't go to Starbuck's? Moving my face became an almost impossible chore. Words did not come out right. "Y'all" sounded like "yell." This southern girl has a serious issue.

On Thursday, back to the ER; had an MRI and a zillion dollars in tests, and I'm diagnosed with Bell's Palsy. Really? Are you sure? And what’s that? How long does it last?

Bell's is a neurological disorder that can take months and up to a year to clear. The true cause is not known, but cases have been related to viruses. Well, this was great news compared to the alternatives! Ok, time for me to put my big girl panties on and deal with this.

Locked inside my apartment, hiding from the world, I viewed a city, busy, living life. Cars full of normal-faced people going back and forth to work. Are you feeling “poor me syndrome” yet?

My view on life and beauty suddenly changed. The next day, I sat watching coverage of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. Thoughts were of all the children; I said a prayer for Angels to surround them. How could someone do this? Only God knows the truth. Sitting here made me value life and the gift it really is. When it is all over, family and friends are all that counts. Everything else is just stuff.

Being a makeup artist, I can “fix” just about anything. I reminded myself, makeup is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Well, maybe this might require a Craftsman wrench and some WD-40. Armed with the best beauty products in the industry, the work began. Eyebrow pencil higher, good fake lip alignment, curled the droopy eye lashes and added waterproof mascara (because my affected eye was constantly watering). My face appeared a little more alive and even across its features.

Major Confession

The last few days have made me understand how shallow and superficial my life had become. Sometimes, there are the "simple things" we just don’t “get.”

For years, I have worked with women who have cancer or disfigurements. When they would cry in happiness after a makeover, a feeling of understanding would come over me. Did I really get the whole concept? Nope, not even close. The makeup fairy really does have a magic wand! Time has come for her to start waving it more for local nonprofit organizations.

My face is getting more feeling and movement each day. On Wednesday, back into the world I go, with an adjusted view on life. Bell's Palsy has been a good thing for me. Thanks for reading and give everyone in your life a big hug!

2013 Update

It has been a year since this post. For the most part my feeling and taste have not returned on the left side.The good news is everything has a chocolate taste. Not a bad side effect!  Fragrances have totally changed. Animals and other things so intense now,much more than before. Living with the numbness  and lack of taste have  become a  daily challenge , Biting the inside of your mouth is never fun! Several starbucks burned mouth episodes later......oh well enough for now. What I do know, this year has made me really look at life differently than before.

Mask of Life..writing today

Spent today writing....I see who you are behind the mask. A body held together housing an empty soul. Stop blaming yourself my dear child; it is not your fault. Life has become a product of mommy dearest and father time. Tears fell from your eyes everyday in an attempt to empty the pain. You hide in your castle of life and pretend everything is ok. Stop allowing the world to see the mask with sad eyes and fill the empty soul once again.

Christmas was so naughty it was outlawed in Boston from 1659-1681.

One of the advantages of having a blog, you can write honest true thoughts. I am saddened by what Christmas has become in America. It has developed into commercialism at its best. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the twinkle lights sit next to the Halloween decorations.Wait, there is more.... Someone always gets drunk at the office Christmas party and gives us something to talk about until the next one. Bell ringing Santas get arrested for stealing from the red donation bag. What is going on with Christmas?

 A few questions for you....Who came up with the idea to give presents? Why do we put up fake trees or chop down real ones? Did you know most people spend more on a tree than they donate to charity each year? Where did the idea start to inspire people spend days turning their house into a winter blinking wonderland?

Did it just become this self centered and crazy ? Nope, read on.....The Original "Christmas" was very different than the way it is now. Many of our traditions are based in Pagan religion practices.These traveled around the world for centuries and arrived on the Mayflower here in the new America. The wild party continued and the country was split on what to do with Christmas. 

 During the civil war the North and South had different views on on slaves and  Christmas. The North saw it as a sin to celebrate and the south contained the first three states to make Christmas a legal holiday. Alabama in 1836, and both Louisiana and Arkansas in 1838. Christmas was not declared a federal Holiday until 1879.  

This video is informative the  history of this holiday season.What you see might surprise you!

In the 19th century Washington Irving reinvented Christmas with the book The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon. It included essays and a few involving Christmas He changed it from a wild insane party to family time and people bought into the concept. Want to thank him?  He is buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery with the Headless horseman in Terry Town New York.


 BTW...If you want on my Christmas card list, send me an email!