Monday 25 April 2011

Finding balance

This Bank Holiday weekend has been amazing. Not that I flew off to the South Coast of France, or ate at any five star restaurants or even that I did anything that anyone else would be jealous of. But what was so amazing to me was the difference those extra few days have made. I have had the time to stop, think and enjoy my life.

My weekends are normally spent trying to catch up on the work at home that I haven't had the chance to do during the busy week, as well as grocery shopping and laundry. Spending time with Chloe is important to me too, even if that is just watching Saturday night television together or going out for lunch. And where possible, I like to fit in a bit of writing or crafting or photography too - anything to exercise those creative muscles.

However, it is a struggle, and I do find myself fighting to make everything fit in. I often wonder if it's just me that feels like this, whether I am the only one who finds themselves spending the majority of the time doing what I think I have to do, and spending the least amount of time doing what I actually want to do? We all have to earn a living, and so work necessarily has to take up most of the time. Surely though, there's a better way? There must be a way to balance this better, so I can feel like my life is productive and happy and fulfilling.  Actively deciding to find that balance is the first step. I'm going to find time to make a life, not just to make a living.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

For the love of concealer

Today I am sending a note of eternal gratitude to whoever invented concealer : loving your work! Pre-concealer this morning I looked like the shinier redder-nosed sister of Rudolph. Or some freaky big-nosed circus clown. Or someone who has an even closer relationship with alcohol than I actually do. Whichever way, so not a good look. Post-concealer, I still couldn't be mistaken for a super-model, but I could at least pass muster as a human being with a normal-coloured nose.

So it's just a cold. An energy-zapping, nose-blocking, hanky-eating cold. But I will be glad when it's over.

Today's make-up mania made me think though. I've always reckoned on myself as not being too hung-up on looks; happy to go out with just moisturiser, sunscreen and brushed hair, and I turned up my nose at those who went what I saw as too far to preserve their looks. Today though, I really felt I couldn't go out looking like I did without artificial intervention to hide the red nose, otherwise I would be conscious of it all day. I'm perhaps vainer than I thought. But you know, I'm now ok with saying that's not a bad thing. It's not a crime to want to make the best of yourself, even with a little artifice. And that's especially true if there's something that you really hate about yourself, that makes you feel self-conscious constantly. But a little help goes a long way. Heidi Montag-style transformation? Well, that's a different matter!