Tiny Benevolent Changes, XI

Filling in the Form:

My Bathroom
1. I recently realized that many of the bath products I have been using contain some form of paraben. (Thanks Jennie and Jesika for letting me know about this nasty preservative!) I will purchase something this week that is paraben-free, and be more conscious about what I put on my body.
2. The shower curtain in my hall bathroom has been bothering me because of the mold growing on it. I haven’t purchased a new one because of the expense. However, this week I found one I LOVED and at a reasonable price. It has transformed my bathroom and makes me smile every time I see it.
3. When I was little I used to light a candle and take a shower in the dark. I don’t know when I stopped doing that—probably when life got too busy. I vow to do that again, once a week, and reconnect with that child who possessed an innocent wisdom about serenity.

My Bedroom
1. I love waking up to the sunlight on my face. Unfortunately, my husband hates
that. One of the small sacrifices I have made, as we all do in a marriage, has been
to shut the blinds to bring him comfort. However, what I fail to do is open the
blinds during the day. I will do that now and enjoy all hours of the sun—not just the morning.

My Living Room
1. Many of the pictures hanging on my walls have not been dusted in ages. I will
take each on down and clean them. While doing this, I will reminisce about what attracted them to me in the first place, or think about the people who gave them to me as gifts.

My Kitchen
1. My Aunt Carol always has quotes or inspirational phrases up on her refrigerator. I
always love reading them. I will do the same, picking favorite quotes for the week or stanzas of poems that I love.
2. All of the art hanging in my kitchen are pictures I purchased in the store or had
framed. I have started the slow process of adding one personal art piece to each of
the rooms in my house—adorning the spaces with things either I have made or
friends/family. My kitchen is one of the few rooms left to do. This assignment
pushed me to be courageous and hang one of my first paintings on the wall.

My Car
1. I went through a phase (mainly in high school and college) of buying sunglasses
with various colored lenses. I have some with blue lenses with black rims, orange
lens with gold rims, red lenses with black rims, and clear lens with silver rims.
Somehow they have all ended up in my car, crowding the nooks and crannies. I vow to finally purge myself of them. However, before I do, I will put each of them on and remember how I looked at the world at the time I bought them.
2. Because I often think of lines of poetry or writing ideas when I drive, I will put a
notepad in my car to collect them. That way I can get rid of all the pen-stained
napkins.

My wardrobe from shoulders to top of head
1. Soon I need to cut my hair. It’s driving me crazy. I always wait for months on end
in between cuts because I hate paying the money.
2. My earlobes refuse to cooperate and allow me to wear earrings. I seem to be allergic to everything. The only metal I have not ruled out is platinum and our budget doesn’t allow that purchase. Because I have always loved earrings and have quite a few, I will slowly start to give some away to those that would get some good use out of them.

My wardrobe from shoulders to waist
1. Buy a bra that FITS.

My wardrobe from waist to knees
1. I can only think of x-rated changes for this one that I’m not brave enough to post.
Hopefully the results won’t be tiny, but definitely benevolent.

My wardrobe from knees to floor
1. I have a plethora of shoes that need a new home. AND, I need more closet space.

Tools I use for my art
1. I need to buy batteries for the digital tape recorder that my husband bought me years ago. With fully operational equipment, I can verbally record my thoughts when I’m too tired to write them down.
2. I will create a special place for my art tools. Now they are scattered all throughout
the house, which, for some reason, keeps me from using them. Perhaps with a little organization I can find some creativity.