Oh, how to survive the ongoing isolation that some of us still live with! I will tell you how: a touch of eyeliner and a dab of perfume. Every. Single. Day.
And yes, of course. Coffee!
Now, before I wax on about self-care, self-image, and the importance of sensory pleasures to one’s well-being, please don’t admonish me at the mere mention of isolation. Let me clarify that I go out into the world roughly once a week, always with a mask if I’m headed into a store or other place of business, and ditto when I go to physical therapy for my ever-entertaining back issues (sigh). Happily, everyone at physical therapy is required to be masked (all the employees are vaccinated and masked), which offers an element of comfort along with the twinkle in the eyes of the therapists and administrators who work there.
Now, let’s return to the positive perks of make-up, scent, and (generally) sensory pleasure…
Although I’m still challenged by the pandemic poundage I took on some time back, a struggle I’ve had to contend with throughout my life, many months ago I began lining my eyes every morning and indulging my wrists in a hint of my favorite fragrance. Whether I see people or not, this, along with coffee, is my morning ritual.
Why?
Well, my collection of fine footwear may be gathering dust in stacked boxes, and my cute size 6 pencil skirts and fitted sweaters may be equally neglected, but with or without real-world in-the-flesh interaction with others, I nonetheless have real-world in-the-flesh interaction with myself.
Yes, I do pass mirrors throughout the day. Yes, I do catch a glimpse of myself despite trying not to. Yes, it does matter to me what that glimpse reflects back because one day I would like to be really out in the world again. And we all know that appearances matter. Perception, self-image, self-confidence — these are all tied up in that appearance, for some of us more than others.
Identity, too. I mean, we need to recognize ourselves, don’t we?
Besides, there is reassurance in these little rituals like eyeliner and perfume, their sensory potency, their evocative nature so useful in generating positive emotions, particularly during times of change or challenge. And I prefer to remind myself that I remain who I am despite the many (mind-boggling?) “challenges” the world is facing — one of the reasons I write so much less — not to mention the many (odd? unexpected?) transitions in my own life.
Transitions?
Oh, you know. Issues of employment (or not), relationships (or not), active parenting (or not), changing careers (or not), adjusting to relocation (or not), socializing — hello, Pandemic and Not-Quite-Post-Pandemic World — right, or not.
And of course, aging. I mean, we all age, right? But there comes a point where the aging is a tad more, hmmmm… “insistent.” Yes, that’s a nice euphemism. I’ll stick with that one. The impacts of aging, both felt and seen, are more insistent. And these impacts can be unsettling. Scary even. But that is why eyes, even peeking over a mask, are so crucial, at least to me. Their flashes of merriment. Their wells of compassion. Their steely gaze — steely only when required, naturally.
And that is why my signature scent is so important as well. The delight I take in breathing it in. The marvelous associations it conjures so quickly. (And the French Roast smells pretty damn good, too!)
Now, these little flourishes to the flesh and pleasures on the palate aren’t the only things that remind me I’m me, of course. I have the following. Learning new things. Chatting with fascinating people in a Facebook group (the trick is finding common interests). Chatting online in French! Using the phone as an actual phone and catching up with old friends. Whatsapping with my kids.
These essential human connections are at the heart of who we are, aren’t they? And about the heart of who we are.
But meanwhile, my eyeliner and Chanel provide the morning lift I depend on as my first (ahem) infusions of French Roast gurgle through Mr. Coffee at 4 a.m. And that too, my morning brew in the wee hours, its aroma, reminds me of who I am at a stage in life when every reminder feels vital. And these reminders, all sensory, each filled with a lifetime of memory and feeling, make me smile.
What about you? Adjustments? Transitions? Little self-care routines that perk you up? Your favorite coffee?
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Nice to read your enjoyable and relatable posts again. Love the “insistent aging” reference.
Lovely of you to stop by! Relatable (sigh)… 🙂
Nice to see you back on the blog, DA. We are still hunkering down far more than before the pandemic. Hubby is not yet ready to travel, and when we do finally dip our toes back in the travel pool, it will be a very different kind of trip, I fear. For a number of reasons we won’t be able to do the kind of travel we have always loved and for which we planned and saved all our working lives. We knew that would come one day, we just thought we had time to squeeze in a couple more trips before it happened… but… well… the pandemic took care of that.
Anyway… trying not to whine these days. And clearly not being successful. Ha.
Hope you are well, aside from the back stuff. I’m on the physio treadmill again myself. Heat packs, exercises, physio, Naproxen… same old drill, just lasting longer each time it happens.
I don’t do the eyeliner thing for my daily happy. But I just purchased a pair of i-phone ear buds. Wireless! And now I can wander around the house plugged into my current favourite audio book. I’ve been doing this for years, but those dang wires were always getting caught on stuff. Now I am unencumbered. Joy.
Hang in there my friend. Now I’m going to go spray myself with my own favourite scent. See if it helps. xox
Lovely of you to stop by, Sue! And oh, the realities (as opposed to best laid plans), but you two have had some amazing trips and I am glad to hear that there will be more, even if a bit different. (“Different” comes to us all.) And yes, that treadmill as you say. (Heat, physio, exercises, and so on.)
Would be curious to know if your fave fragrance has the same uplifting impact on you… 🙂
xo