Last month I did a bucket list. It seems a trash list is also appropriate for my Improvements category. These are just a couple of things that have changed over the years and I feel they have been changes for the better. Some are more serious than others, but all have a level of deliberateness behind them.
1. Sheets
We haven't stopped using sheets on our beds, but we have switched which kind of fabric they are made of a couple of times.
We tried silk sheets when we were first married, mostly just for kicks and giggles because it seemed kind of sexy at the time. Unfortunately, Charles has really rough heels and he tore through those in no time. Plus, I never really liked how they were kind of cold when we first got into bed at night.
Next, we went with just normal cotton sheets that everyone has, I'm sure. Those lasted longer than the silk, but Charles' callouses still ripped through them eventually. We still use cotton sheets for the kids beds and for my massage table sheets, just not on our bed.
We now have the jersey knit sheets that feel like T-shirts. Surprisingly, they have lasted much longer and I have yet to see signs of wear on them. So if you too have rough feet and you've noticed that your bed sheets are getting ravaged, jersey sheets might be for you too. And they feel softer than the cotton sheets, which I like.
2. Heels and Contacts
Growing up there was kind of a rule of sorts as to the height of the heels I was allowed to wear at certain ages. Basically I didn't wear really high heels until I was at least 16. I think I got my first 6 inch heels for prom my senior year of high school. That all seemed perfectly reasonable to me and my girls will probably have similar guidelines.
Like any other woman, I still enjoy the aesthetic appeal of beautiful shoes, but I hardly wear much more than flats anymore. Although I still own several pairs of heels.
This began when I was doing my massage training and I became more aware of body mechanics and the strain that wearing heels can do to a body. Then I became pregnant and now have babies to carry around. These things tend to discourage the wearing of heels on any kind of regular basis.
I'm still quite proud of the fact that I can carry my babies and wear stilettos, I just don't do it very often anymore.
My experience with wearing contacts is quite similar.
I've worn glasses since about 3rd grade but I didn't get contacts until I was 16. At that time and up until a couple years ago I wore contacts most days.
But now I have awesome frames that I love and with being a mom I don't see much need for wearing contacts very often. I basically only wear them when I'm feeling like I'm having a really good makeup day where glasses would diminish that. And I now have prescription sunglasses, so I don't need to switch to contacts when I know I'll be out in the sun.
So I feel a little grandma-ish wearing my flats and prescription sunglasses, but it feels practical and works for me, for now at least.
3. The Shampoo/Conditioner Swap
In an effort to start using what I pin on Pintrest, I tried something a couple of months ago. I read "How to Wash Your Hair the Right Way" and it seemed a good place to start.
When I remember, I still try to brush my hair out before I shower to help with breakage. For about a month I did do conditioner before shampoo. But I hate cold showers so I've never done the cold rinse unless I'm just washing my hair in the sink.
The swap was an interesting experiment. It's supposed to help give your hair more volume because you wash the excess conditioner off to not weigh your hair down unnecessarily. In a way that was my result, but not how I wanted.
I'm assuming I have a different hair type than Amanda and then there is the fact that I don't use any other products when styling my hair. So I ended up feeling more static-y than voluminous. Besides, as a T4 I don't feel a great need for volume in general, so I've switched back to conditioning last to achieve my signature sleek look.
4. Un-DYT
Speaking of being a T4, I can't/don't not dress my Type anymore. (The double negative is on purpose.) As a Type 4, once I agree with something, I go all in. Such has been the case with Dressing Your Truth.
In most of the testimonials that I've seen, women tend to describe their DYT experience as freeing in some shape personal to them. I'd have to agree. For me it has been freeing to not have to be guessing my way through fashion. As a T4, it has been freeing to not have to wear brown anymore because I always hated how the brown pieces I had never matched exactly. It has been freeing to not feel shame for the amount of black in my closet but at the same time feeling truly feel free to wear colors I hadn't been wearing before.
I feel better when I am dressing my truth. I feel like DYT helps me avoid being/feeling under-dressed because I know how to be pretty all the time. Now I only get slack in my lounge wear (heaven forbid, I have some gray leggings I wear as PJ's).
I did actually buy some shorts at the beginning of this summer that were not my Type, but I was trying to find some shorts because I only have capris in my Type. I packed them for our road trip, but (surprise) I never wore them.
5. Media Selective-ness
Now, don't go reading that heading and think that I have stopped being selective about my media diet. On the contrary, there are some things that I have decided I don't ever need to watch again for my own reasons.
There are two shows that, although fascinating in some way, just stick with me in ways I have grown uncomfortable with and so have pruned them from my consumption.
The first is "Law and Order; Special Victims Unit". I got caught up in this show before I had my own children. In most cases, I enjoy the mystery genre. But SVU showed me more of all the terrible things that can happen that I wouldn't have imagined on my own. Now that I have two little ones, thinking of any of the trauma shown on SVU happening to them leaves me feeling terrified which is not a pleasant feeling. It takes a long while to talk myself out of the mental tree I end up in when I just remember certain episodes that I can't seem to un-see. So SVU is out.
"Supernatural" has had a similar but different effect on me. I only recently watched the first season on Netflix because I had seen the memes about the central interpersonal relationships on Pintrest. I was intrigued and tried to stick it out to see if Dean and Sam get any kind of happy ending, but horror is not my cup of tea. I soon found that I could not watch this show for very long before the dark in my own house became frightening. I consider a fear of what can be in the dark to be quite rational and I thank evolution for that. But when I begin to fear demons in my own house at night when I know they are not present in the day, I knew that was enough and have stopped far before the happy ending in whatever form it comes. As a Finisher this has been hard, but I have no regrets.
Most of the changes I have made seem to aid in my comfort in one way or other. I'm more comfortable in my sheets and flat shoes and the other changes make me comfortable in my own skin and in my head. I'm happy and a bit proud to say these have been lasting changes.
To each his own. What changes have you been able to make that you are happy to have made? Please leave a comment.
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