About That

Here's the thing.  I have, erm, an odd little first-world problem.

You know when you have your heart set on something really nice and special?  A little taste of luxury?  And then, if you're so lucky to finally have it come into your possession, whether by your own hard work, or maybe through the generosity of someone in your life, or hey, maybe even thanks to a piece of plastic with a high interest rate, you can't get enough of it?  You're smitten.  Obsessed, even.  It's constantly on your mind.  It becomes your newest BFF.  As it most certainly should, gosh darn it.

I am the polar opposite.

When something nice comes into my possession, I usually need a minute to catch my breath (because it's usually a gift and catches me by surprise) and then just stare at the pretty in front of me.  I can barely bring myself to touch the item, nervous that I might somehow tarnish its pristine state.  I am not that person who clenches a newly acquired item with her chubby little hands and slobbers all over it immediately.  Instead, I admire from a distance.  And I wait.  And wait.  And wait some more.

The problem is that I can wait an eternity.  And never actually use it!  It's just that it's so...nice.  And extravagant.  How can I make room in my frumpy, plain little life for something so spectacular?  Indulging in anything beyond the practical washes me in guilt.

I've decided that this is not ok.

When I finished a bottle of conditioner this week, I went to the hall closet to retrieve another and spotted a set of my favorite hair treats.  I had forgotten about my delicious Bumble and Bumble seaweed line.  This shampoo and conditioner were the single big ticket items I had once allowed myself.  I stopped cold turkey when I lost my job, unable to justify twenty dollars for eight ounces of shampoo.  This pair hiding in the closet was courtesy of my sister who found them in a Duane Reade.  She proudly rolled in the door that day announcing, "You won't believe who carries Bumble now!"  You see, back in the day when I first discovered Bumble, when it was still relatively unknown, I whined about how difficult it was to find retail locations that carried it.  To see them at a NYC chain as ubiquitous as Duane Reade was something of a big moment.  Despite my sister's kind gesture, I felt like I didn't deserve them and directed her to return the bottles.  She refused.

So here I was staring at these two precious things.  I snapped open the conditioner cap and inhaled.  The scent was just as I remembered: pure, clean, sea-y, and well, like my own locks from a time before now.  I moved the duo to my shower immediately.

I think it's high time to start taking in the luxuries I have.

Welcome to my bathtub. It's so good to see you.