Pamper Night

In the continuing journey to LOVE MYSELF, I have decided to institute a weekly Pamper Night... for me!  Sound selfish?  Maybe – but maybe it’s a SELFISH that helps me move along my journey to be the best person I am called to be.

I don’t know why it is so difficult for me to find time to... do my nails, color my hair, put on make-up, whiten my teeth... and on and on and on... 

Maybe for the same reason I keep wearing sneakers...

I watched the Biggest Loser show the other night and it was makeover night.  The contestant that I identify with the most is Becky – a 51 year old wife, mother, schoolteacher.   (I was 51 when I first lost a significant amount of weight)

When I saw her makeover... the effect was astounding.   New hair style, contact lens, dressing to fit her body... we all know these things make an amazing difference.  But I remember..... it happened to me too.   And it scared me to death.

How do you keep it up?

When you spend most of your adult life....  looking for comfort instead of fashion....  focusing on neat and clean (instead of the FABULOUS that is one step farther), it is incredibly difficult to change your brain.

The habits?  Well, they are just that... habits.  The HABIT of shopping until you find stylish shoes that are comfortable (YES, they are out there!)   The HABIT of buying one item at a time instead of 3 of the same thing in different colors.  (This is a frugal habit, I agree – and IF they are classic pieces, I won’t argue.... but if you are like me, they aren’t classic pieces.   They are something that fits comfortably, is inexpensive, and, unfortunately, looks shabby as soon as you put it on and never wears out!)

I have spent years justifying my LACK of physical care.  Let’s see.... I don’t have time... I don’t have money... I don’t know how...  I just can’t focus on it.... It’s not me..... I’m a casual person with a natural look.. I'm smart, not pretty.   (To face the truth – I want to be naturally PRETTY... not naturally FRUMPY.... this does require a little effort!)

As for time?  Well, we all have the same amount of it.  And I spend a LOT of time figuring out food and exercise – but I can justify that with the badge of HEALTH and WELLNESS.  I can raise the moral flag of ‘taking care of my family’.  There is nothing about fashion and cosmetic care that I can call ‘other focus’.  It is strictly self-care and, here is the difficult piece – self-love.  Besides, one night a week for an hour or so is really nothing.  It’s a bubble bath :-)

When the weight loss (and resulting makeover change) happened to me, I couldn’t keep it up.   MENTALLY, I did not have the skills to spend the LOVE on myself that is involved with looking fabulous.  MENTALLY, I did not have the skills to handle the ATTENTION I received.

It’s not really about cosmetic things.... it’s about putting YOURSELF on your priority list.  This is the REAL habit.

I think that the difficulty is actually taking the time... making the commitment... to take care of yourself...  to be the best YOU you know how to be.   Period.