There is a funny story tied up in this title. It starts with....I travel a lot for my job. As such I refuse to pay for cable/satellite since I am never in one place long enough to justify the expense. One of my best girlfriends introduced me to Hulu. Who knew you could get free television through the Internet. What will they think up next? I love it. I set up my own account, and I subscribe to my favorite shows. The downside, of course there is one, is that not every television show is available through Hulu. The upside is when I am bored, I explore their offering....and that is where this story really starts.
So, I decided to watch an episode of "Hot in Cleveland"...anybody seen this show? It has the funniest actress ever Betty White alongside three over 40+ year old ladies from LA who end up transplanted in Cleveland. Not that I am a television critic, but it isn't exactly the most plausible storyline, but I was bored and ran with it. :) So, I watch the pilot episode and it is funny; nothing to write home about, but funny. I am watching television on the Internet. Can I really afford to be picky? :)
Anyway, I was on the road this week so I have now watched a couple of these episodes in tandem with a week that also encompassed me getting a facial. A luxury you might be thinking. No. It was a necessity. It seems that as I am nearing 40 (or you could blame it on my recent surgery, stress, pain meds, etc., but for purposes of this tale, lets blame it on age), it seems that I have developed a little adult acne. If that wasn't bad enough, it has developed on just one side of my face. Seriously? God has such a sense of humor. So there is a wonderful lady in Little Rock who does facials. The truth is that back when I pampered myself more, and frankly devoted a regular weekend to just taking care of Heather...I saw her on a regular basis. Well, in the last couple of years as I have had to sacrifice things to get it all done...as we all do, I sacrificed the "me" treats. I am paying for it now. My back is killing me (not enough Gail - deep tissue massages (I had a horrible wreck in high school...this is really medicinal)), and the latest....adult acne. Great.
So I made an appointment to see Barbara and get a facial. What a treat coupled with tremendous embarrassment. My face really looked bad, and frankly I have been having difficulty covering it with make-up. Oh, lets be honest...the make-up has made it worse...and I have been looking like an idiot. A grown woman with a giant breakout. I am laughing as I write this, laughing through my pain. Barbara schooled me a little on taking better care of my face (intertwined with you have beautiful skin...she is a sweetie), and sent me off with some supplies to use at home. We're hoping in all seriousness that it really is just the additional stress, surgery and strong pain meds I have been on. If it is not cleared up by the end of April when I see her again, she is recommending I go see a dermatologist to make sure it is not something more serious. That of course makes me laugh more because after the legitimate serious health roller coaster I have been on since August of last year...this seems...well...trivial, if not superficial.
Anyway, I go to bed that night with what can only be described as strawberry jam on my face. I am not kidding. Barbara even described it as jam. You sleep in it, nightly if you want, and then wash it off in the morning. I am looking at my poor face and somewhere between laughter and tears, I shake my head and climb in bed. I turn on Hulu for a little television before dozing off and what do I watch? "Hot in Cleveland" with three lovely aging women learning to cope with getting older. Anyone sensing a theme here? Well then you are smarter than me, because it had not fully hit me yet.
So on my way home after work this week, I stopped at Walgreen's to pick up a few things. In light of my skin issues, I guess it was still on my mind, I loitered in the cleanser/moisturizer aisle while picking up a new moisturizer. Okay, two moisturizers. One for my face and one for just my eyes. I then picked up a daily facial mask and a new face scrub. Only one moisturizer was on my shopping list, but you knew that already didn't you?
Next, my assistant at work, who had surgery in early December, had recommended to me a chewable Centrum vitamin for energy. I had confided in her how exhausted I still felt since my surgery, and she said that they had been recommended to her and had really helped. Knowing that I am going to feel this way for a month or two (according to the doctor) as my body fully recovers, etc. I am all for helping it along. Chewy vitamins, I am thinking, how old am I? I am all for new things so they are on my list, and I am headed to the vitamin aisle. Has anyone else been there lately? What the heck is going on in the vitamin aisle?! I needed my reading glasses (don't start) and a road map to maneuver this section of Walgreen's. I finally find the Centrum section, and it hits me. I am about to purchase my grandparent's vitamin of choice. Holy crap!! I double over in laughter. Once I gather myself, yes...yes, I did nearly pee in my pants in laughter (Which always reminds me of one of my best friends in high school; we used to make her laugh so hard she would pee in her pants. While it might sound cruel, it really wasn't. We could write a book. :) ) I digress, as usual. Anyway, I compose myself and try to find a chewable Centrum daily vitamin. I find a daily energy vitamin by Centrum, but it is not chewable. There are at least ten varieties of daily energy Centrum vitamins on the shelf in front of me. I pick one. Then, just as I am about to walk away, I see "gummy" on a One A Day bottle. No way! It is an adult, chewy daily vitamin. I think what the heck, and throw it in my cart too.
I had only a two or three other items on my list to gather up before heading to the checkout. I am standing there with my credit card as the young man checks me out, and then it flashes up...$200.47. What!!!!??? $200.47 for some moisturizer, vitamins, creamer and toilet paper??!! I was aghast, but quickly ran my card. I grabbed my two bags. Yes, only two! Plus my jumbo toilet paper and headed out the door. I really had to ask myself....how bad was my acne issue that I had in two days laid out more than $200 to rectify the problem? Good grief.
So last night before I climbed in bed, I slapped on my new moisturizer, my new under eye cream, some Carmax on my lips, and I snuggled in for a great night of sleep. This morning I am enjoying my coffee in bed as I read the news. I was up early, so I thought I might watch a little television (lighter than the news lately) while I drink my coffee. "Hot in Cleveland" is at the top of my Hulu subscription list this a.m. so I click on the next episode on the list. It is all about getting older and that 50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30 and so on. I laugh...still not fully getting the irony. I get up for another cup of coffee, and I have to go to the bathroom (lately I am peeing every 30 minutes it seems...is that yet another symptom of getting older or can I blame that on the surgery too?). While washing my hands, I notice that my face does, in fact, look better. I smile in the mirror and then remember my new vitamins. I have a full day of chores ahead of me on this rainy Saturday in the hollow, so of course I think to myself that there is no better time to try out my new vitamins. I grab the bottle. Struggle to open it (thinking this is getting ridiculous), and look at my grandmother's vitamin at the bottom of the bottle (don't get me started on packaging waste...what a racket...oh my goodness, I am turning into my grandparents :)). I grab my coffee, try (more than once) to swallow the horse pill, and then it hits me.
I really am getting older. This is it. Most women I know would have broke down in tears with this realization. Not to speak out of school, but when my older sister turned 30 she went on anti-depressants, and when she turned 40 they doubled the dosage. I am not my older sister. In fact, I have always looked forward to getting older, my hair turning gray (I am a huge Emmylou Harris fan and only hope my hair looks half that gorgeous), and experiencing life at all stages. So the fact is that I really am laughing through all of this, and I am thankful for that. In all reality, it really is funny. I am not thrilled about all of the extra money I am spending for all of my new ailments, but it is funny how our bodies are always changing. If you don't believe in God...I think that would make you believe. It would also give you complete confidence that God has a sense of humor. I am glad I do too.
And....I bet you are thinking....she isn't going to be able to play the glad game with this post. Wrong. I am glad I am here TO age. I am glad I can enjoy the process including finding the humor in it. I am glad that I have a wonderful dermatologist, a great facialist, and live in a country where there is a Walgreen's on every corner. I am most thankful that I have a wonderful man in my life who when he saw me yesterday with no make-up on (as I am trying to heal my face), plus a red, splotchy face to boot, hair in a bun on top of my head, clothes that clearly were not meant to be worn together (I got in a rush...and I didn't pack well outside of work clothes), and my new massive reading glasses (because clearly they are no longer simply a fashion statement)....he said to me, and I am not making this up, "Hello Beautiful. I have missed you." Now I don't know about you, but I am a VERY lucky girl....my man is blind. I am kidding. :) Seriously, I am a very, very lucky woman. I DO NOT take that for granted either, and if you are a lucky girl to have a cheerleader (whoever that might be) in your life, I hope you don't take them for granted either. Because the truth is, 40...is simply 40.
Now, I think that Centrum is kicking in so I am going to dig into the 10+ loads of laundry awaiting me. I know you might be asking how does a single woman with no children accumulate so much laundry. My simple answer is...lately I am only doing laundry once a month...except for the necessities. Whoops.
Be glad today. Rain or shine...it is a beautiful day. Why? Because you are in it...God gave you another day...now it is your turn. What are you going to make of it?
Sunshine Dreams to You ~ Today and Every Day! :)
P.S. Sorry for the long post. Can you tell I have missed my writing while I have been recuperating?? :) :)