$3 Moisturizer

I use a $3 moisturizer and I’m not afraid to admit it. If we’re being honest it’s $3 and some change. It works. It’s reliable. It’s economical to go thru tubs of the stuff in the winter.

Now when one buys a $3 moisturizer there is little glitz or glamor involved. It comes in a white tub with some pretty generic lettering.

When you’re one of the cheapest moisturizers at the box store you don’t really garner a great shelf space to call your own. I hope you’re still limber because these containers are stocked on the bottom shelf.

Here’s my take away from a tub of moisturizer:

You don’t have to be glitzy, glamorous or over the top to get people to notice you. I first saw this lotion as part of my own moms routine when I was in high school many moons ago. People buy it. The brand has staying power. Even if you aren’t flashy, people will notice your good qualities.

There’s nothing wrong with a modest living. This little tub doesn’t boast about its popularity.

Reliability is an unsung virtue. I seriously doubt the formula has change over the years. It still smells and feels the same. People like the consistency.

People will like you if you aren’t flashy. People will admire you for being a constant in their life. Money and success is great, but people want to know you for more than that.

Oh and the best part I forgot to add? For $3.97 your get 2 tubs… not just one!

Dirty Dishes

Real life: our hot water heater broke last week. It wasn’t like we were living with ice water, but we’re talking like warm showers at best while we waited to get it repaired.

Now that sucks. But here’s the best part. Six people eating three meals a day at home. I have Mt Everest of dirty dishes currently on my kitchen counter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not someone who has to have a clean kitchen to sleep at night. However it reached epic proportions. Avalanche looming.

This is life. Real life. Dirty, messy, inconvenient life.

Too often we glamorize what we post on social media. I get why. No one wants to be the only hot mess. There’s considerable more eye appeal to a well decorated and cleaned home than a lived in one.

I’m going to tell you what I’ve found out.

We have comfort and acceptance when we admit our faults to like minded people. There’s times in our lives when we all need to do dishes, the floor has been 3 days past needed a vacuum, when was the last time that toddler had more than a sponge bath?

Whatever you’re dealing with this week know you aren’t alone. Find peace knowing we all have messes, if we air them in public or not.

I mean as long as there’s no steak knives in that dish avalanche I’ll probably be ok. When the time comes it’s tackled I’ll feel better. Deep down I know there’s someone out there, just like me, deciding if tonight’s the night to tackle it.

Do the Work

Long term love is hard.

It’s often down played, glamorized, the good days displayed on a billboard. The hard days hidden far from the public eye.

What happens on the days when the person who used to feel like home is the same person who makes you question everything? What do you do then?

No one wants to talk about those days. Even when you bring it up to friends they often skirt around the hard truths.

Some days people suck. Some days that person your person. The person who brought butterflies once now brings tension.

Do the hard work. The messy work. The dirty work. Remember why they are your person. Why they feel like home. Why they bring you comfort. Do the work you don’t want others to see.

I once read couples who fight still have passion. They still have something worth fighting for. Do the damn work no matter how hard.

Life and love aren’t easy. No one is perfect. Your spouse is human. You are human. To love is to forgive. To cherish. To wake up every day and make the choice to do the work.