Getting Older

I’ve been thinking about minimalism, getting older, paring down, and maybe something more like “essentialism”. 

My life has changed dramatically following my 40^th birthday, but primarily in external ways.  I realized this spring that I have changed in the past 4 years:

My name

My address

My phone number

My email address

My workplace

I’ve also been making other, still external but less observable alterations.  All of which, surprisingly, took some consideration. 

1.     I stopped wearing perfume when I discovered I get contact dermatitis – small itchy bumps – from spraying it on.  I love scent.  It connects me to memories and is a subtle daily boost.  But I really don’t like itching.  I did try some organic scents.  Most are only available online, so expensive experimenting led me to very few scents I really wanted to use.  I’ve mostly given up.

2.     I started wearing eye cream.  I don’t do a ton when it comes to beauty products, but that seemed like an easy one.  Small container, slap on once a day.  I am judged by my grooming in my workplace, so there are several things I do now that I look forward to tossing when I hit retirement.

3.     I threw away all my uncomfortable underwear.  By uncomfortable, I mean thong.  This isn’t a diss.  I know many women for whom thong is great.  It has a lot to do with the shape of your hips and your tush.  Really doesn’t work for me.  If someone sees my panty line, it’s not going to kill them.

4.     I determined to not buy any more high heels.  I am slowly weeding the ones I own from my closet.  A few I plan to sell online (hello Fluevog shop!).  But ultimately, I want the freedom to walk anywhere.  I live in an area with a lot of ice.  Heels just don’t make sense to most of my lifestyle.