Every so often I forget how much I love Carmex. Every so often I load up on "organic" lip balms and nothing-but-sunscreen chapstick and fancy Chanel gloss and a glorious array of terrible products marketed at 12 year-old girls with flavors like "Cotton-Candy-Kiwi-Cream" or "Dr Pepper Blast" or "Acid Raspberry Turnip Dream" and wonder why I'm STILL not satisfied with the state of my lips.
At any rate - once I've relegated the Chanel and the Lip Smackers to the bottomless-pit-of-a-makeup-drawer for some rainy day, I end up back on the Carmex. It's no-frills. It's tingly. It makes my lips soft and shiny and chilly. It kills cold sores. It's price never goes up. It's utilitarian enough for a man to carry around, shiny enough for a chick to dig. It's your grandma's lip medication (alright, "sexy" isn't on the list of reasons to love the Carmex) . I hope they never change the ugly yellow tin.
But it got me thinking about other things that I love (because most of the time theses days it's all too easy to fall into a mental "pit of despair," complete with emotional R.O.U.S's and lightning sand and spontaneous combustions. It's too easy to let the stress of a heavy classload, a heavy workload, a heavy load on our bank account and too little free time or nice weather squelch all of the stuff that I bump into on a daily basis that I REALLY. DIG. If I allowed myself, I could sit and wallow in envy over the fact that my coworker has no only written a book, but is in the works to pimp said book on our local NPR affiliate tomorrow afternoon, something that seems so distant and unrealizable for me, but I'd rather sit and bathe in soothing thoughts...thoughts of things that I love)
My wonderfully supportive, beautiful mom.
My eternally understanding, loving K that reinforces me when I feel wimpy, makes me feel beautiful when I feel plain, looks forward to our future together with me and makes even my toes feel cherished (!)
My utterly selfless, strong (and yes, sometimes silent) dad - and the garlic shrimp he grills up so well.
My endlessly spunky (and resonant!) sister that makes making friends look effortless and appreciates the Young Herc in a way no one else ever will...
My unexpectedly well-rounded lil brother (that would put any self-respecting radio station to shame with his collection of tunes and any self-respecting DJ to shame with his impressively extensive musical knowledge - and this from the kid that grew up preferring dad's talk radio sports shows to Amy Grant of all things ;))
My bed (particularly in those minutes between snooze slaps).
My fancy Crown Plaza pillows (splurged on them, but it's like falling asleep on an angel's tummy - so soft and weightless and wonderful...)
Guacamole
Strawberry bubble gum
Strappy sandals
Reconciliations that balance
The pool at home - the sound of the lake lapping in the background, somebody playing their reggae too loud from the building next door with the windows open, little kids with cute french accents learning to swim, the wonderful feeling that comes from realizing that at the beginning of summer, we're ALL pale and soft...
Cucumbers
Gaelic Storm
Books on loan from the Boss (currently highly recommend "In the Fall" by Jeffrey Lent)
LOUD irritating pop music in the car (think Hilary Duff and other people I should be embarrassed to blast on my way home)
Sunroofs
Endless.com
Sunglasses
Matching bra & panty (but I hate the word "panty") sets
Manicures With Mom
"The Republic of Tea" tea (particularly Blackberry Sage)
My own homemade soap - peach with apricot seeds to exfoliate
The freckles that come out on my cheeks in the sun
Falling asleep snuggled up next to K
Lazy Saturday mornings in bed
"Mystic Pizza"
Calling in sick to work and getting outta town
Rockaway beach, with the entire family and all of that Costco junk food
K's margaritas...perfect every time
The Santorini Princess Spa...and their ridiculously good pizza
Cooking. Anything.
"Simon & Simon" (where can I find reruns of that show?")
"Wedding Crashers"
John Mellencamp
Bright red hair dye
Sour candy (the type I'm supposed to have outgrown but always have a secret stash of at home...in my desk...in the car)
Learning that I DO have endurance, I CAN learn to run, I CAN keep up with big boys on a hike and that endorphins ARE a great way to combat stress
Birthdays
European cars
Big, long, dangling earrings
Good hair days
Pizza
"The Devil Wears Prada"
Bacon Cheeseburgers
Pink Wine
The "Villa" house that I pass on my way home that motivates me to get my debt in order and buy a home...preferably a villa on some hillside in Tuscany - a vineyard, a big gate, open windows with gauzy curtains blowing...a secret-garden patio with crawling vines, rose bushes, fuscias and honeysuckle where we'd drink coffee in the morning and wine in the evening
Beth Hart - "Screaming For My Supper"
White wine
Drugstore cosmetics
Grilled cheese sandwiches
That unicorn among unicorns - a GOOD greeting card that actually says what you mean to say in the way you'd like to say it...
Flowers!
Cozy, worn-in, practically threadbare t-shirts.
Cozy, worn-in, practically threadbare jeans
Red Wine (hmmm, theme)
Cold, rainy night, candles lit, snuggling on the couch with a good movie in the background.
Green olives
Batman: The Animated Series
"Young Hercules"
Finding the PERFECT gift for someone special and surprising them with it for no reason
New friends
Getting back in touch with old friends
My father-in-law
White, linen dresses in the summertime
Flip-flops
A freshly vacuumed living room
Garbage disposals (don't have one, so I love them longingly, from a distance)
Big, huge sales
Target
Barbeques
Waking up early on sunny mornings to chirping birds
Watching other people trip & fall
Celebrity gossip blogs
Pictures of celebrities in bikinis
Celebrities without their makeup
Writing a single sentence so well it gives me chills...
Going to bed early
Getting on a scale and being pleasantly surprised
Our wedding day...
Bandon Beach
Shoes by Charles David, or Nina, or JoeyO or Chinese Laundry or Nine West or...
Bob Seger
Coconut ice cream
Hot chocolate
Indian food
Swimsuits (I own perhaps 50)
K's beautiful green eyes, big, strong hands, adorable butt
Old Toyota trucks with mud tires and roll bars and obscene lift kits.
French fries
The color pink
A good black v-neck
Any black v-neck
Bright red polish on my toenails
A long soak in a hot tub
Peonies
The Puyallup State Fair
Fluff Chick-lit
Greg Iles novels
Road trips
Diet Dr Pepper
Skirts that flare out and puff up when you twirl around
and, of course,
CHAMPAGNE.
No comments:
Post a Comment