Outside vs. Inside

Day 42 of 365 Tiny Changes

I woke up with a terrible headache this morning.  It’s in my sinuses.  I feel like my left eye is only open half way, from the swelling; but when I look in the mirror, it looks like it’s all the way open.  I hate that. 

I’m tired, and exhausted.  I think I’m catching the butt kicking cold that my life partner, Guy, has been living with for the past week.  I’ve already cursed him and the virus that came riding in on him, but that doesn’t seemed to have stopped it from jumping on me.  I hate that, too.

So, after having a warm cup of herbal tea and flipping through the TV channels for an hour, I decided that I would get up and take my shower.  (I normally read in the mornings, especially when I’m not feeling well, but I was having trouble focusing my left eye.   I really hate that.)

The shower is the first step to my morning ritual.  After a nice, slow, shower, during which I used up all of the hot water, I slathered on the wonderful smelling and feeling face and body lotion.  Ahhhh...Then, because I wasn’t feeling well, I took the time to blow dry and curl my hair.  Normally, I let it air dry and stick it in a pony tail.  Then, I plucked my eye brows and put on my make-up.  Afterward, I got dressed, including shoes.  I usually leave my shoes off until I’m ready to leave the house, but not this morning.  This morning I needed to feel completely ready for the day and ready for anything.

Why?  Because I don’t feel well.  Somewhere along the line I decided that completing my morning ritual makes me feel better, and ready to face the world.  It doesn’t always work, like today, for example.  I’m all ready for the day, including shoes, and now I just want to lay down and take a nap.  What was that comedian’s saying?  “It’s better to look good than to feel good.”  Today, I’m following his advise.

Why does making myself pretty smelling and pretty looking make me feel better, emotionally if not physically?  I’m sure there’s some deep psychological and sociological answer to that question, but I don’t know, or, at the moment, care, what it is.

I do know that it works.  I would much rather spend the hour each morning making myself look, what in my opinion is presentable to the rest of the world, than skipping it and letting the world see my morning bed hair.  I’m guessing the world at large would prefer this, also.  Don’t argue with me on this one.  I’ve seen my morning bed hair, you haven’t.

I’m willing to bet money that the majority of the people I know feel the same way about their morning rituals.  In fact, I’m willing to bet, more people I know are less willing to give up their morning beauty ritual than are willing to give up their exercise ritual.

What’s that?  What exercise ritual?  See what I’m sayin’?  I put more effort and belief in my feeling better by making my self look good, on the outside, then I do on what is way more important.  Making myself look good on the inside. 

What is looking good on the inside?  Open, cholesterol free arteries, toned muscles, less fat stores, strong heart, well functioning lungs, these are all things that make us pretty on the inside, and all much more important than plucked eyebrows.

If I spent as much time on my exercise ritual as I do on my morning beauty ritual, I would probably not be dealing with this cold, because another advantage to having a pretty inside is a stronger immune system.

As a society we do put way more importance on our exterior looks then our interior looks.  There are books and books on how to get ahead in the work place.  Almost all of them touch on dress.  I’ve read that it is very important to dress for the job you want, not the job you have.  I've never read a book that said it's important to exercise for the job you want, not the job you have.

I once read about a company owner, who, at his annual sales meeting, required each of his sales people to go out and purchase a suit that cost at least $1,000.  In his opinion, the suit made the person better at sales.

The book never mentioned if he, also, required his sales team to work out on a regular basis, or eat healthy, or get the proper amount of sleep, so that they would have a lot more energy and much better attitude with which to make more sales.  He probably didn’t.  Nope, apparently, the $1000 suit is what made the difference, in his opinion.   Maybe, in his sales teams opinion, too.

Well, I’m not going to change society’s opinion on what real beauty is.  Or what makes a person successful.  I’m not even going to change my own.  What I am going to do is at least give my inside beauty the same daily time commitment as I do my outside beauty.

Tiny Change 42:  Add 1/2 hour to exercise ritual

This will put my time commitment to 1 hour a day.  I can now add weight lifting, or yoga, or a longer walk.  The options are endless.  I’m going to start this new routine, tomorrow.  Today? I’m going to go take a nap.

How much time to you spend on keeping your inside as beautiful as your outside?

Best Regards,

Linda

Tiny Blessing of the Day:  I am grateful for the invention of the cold pill, really grateful.