9.7.12

Don't Mess with Texas!

Alright...I'm sure most of y'all are familiar with the famous line from A Streetcar Named Desire, when Blanche says, "Whoever you are, I've always depended on the kindness of strangers." Well, I'm about to take that quote completely out of context and change it entirely, but somehow it popped into my head anyway.

Unlike Blanche, I've never allowed myself to depend on the kindness of strangers. In fact, I've rarely even allowed myself to depend on the kindness of friends. But all that changed about 2 weeks ago when all my expectations for my life got upended. Without taking the time to reflect, I jumped in the car and drove from Chicago to Champaign to stay with a friend and to heal spiritually. Unfortunately, I have no pictures and it was such a personal time of reflection and growth that I'm somewhat reluctant to talk about it in a public forum. Feel free to call for more info :)

So, let me pass to the next leg of my self-imposed exile from Oak Park. I drove back north and went directly to the airport for a flight to Dallas. My sister picked me up in the midst of moving (thanks, Borbie!) and she and her hubbie treated me to a week of pampering, sisterly care-giving, and firsts! Amongst the firsts: first enjoyable massage (other have been creepy at best!), first pedicure, first facial, first all-soufflé dinner, first visit to the fabulous Central Market grocery store!

So, I've always been weirdly self-conscious about my feet and my skin...pedicures were not an option in my mind because I have hobbit feet. Yep...wide, hairy, sweaty...in short, nasty. For my first pedicure, the lady DID make fun of my feet. She said they were so sweaty that the polish wouldn't stay on my toenails...first of all, I don't think the nails have sweat glands. Secondly, she had just made me soak my feet in 150% water for 10 minutes (okay, maybe it wasn't 150% exactly, but it was hot). So, I just decided to not care about it! In any case, I was excited about the results and I'm sure it won't be my last pedicure :)

As for my skin, it has always been the thing that has frustrated me the most. It acts out constantly and always has. So, a facial just seems like a recipe for disaster. But, Laura convinced me to try out an Aveda Institute facial with a student that was a fraction of the cost of a "regular" facial. My esthetician was doing her first facial EVER and was super-nervous. She did a great job, but of course, afterwards, I felt the need to spend over $200 on Aveda products to reassure her in her sales abilities. Good heavens.

I was expecting utter patriotic insanity for the Fourth of July...due to the stereotype of extreme Texan pride. However, things weren't too crazy. I spent the day wandering the adorable streets of Denton, Texas, home to University of North Texas, where Laura is a professor. The small-town America feel mixed with the artsy-fartsy college crowd was a fun mix. And, although it was hot, hot, hot, I consoled myself that it was actually cooler than Chicago!

So, all that to put a travel spin on what was really a personal journey of learning to put myself in others' hands and trusting them to take care of me better than I could take care of myself. To those of you who have been there for me these last few weeks, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You know who you are.

But, my travels aren't over yet. So, now for a game...guess where I am now? Here's a clue:


3 comments:

  1. You're at Tim Horton's! Gosh Lindsey... easy clue. Try to make it a little harder next time ;)
    Sean

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  2. Okay, smarty pants...but what COUNTRY? This is still an easy one for you, I realize ;)

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  3. Tim Horton's isn't a country?! I am shocked! I could have sworn they taught as much in my Canadian geography class... :)
    Glad you had such a blog-worthy experience in Texas... yeehaw, sis! You come back soon now, ya hear?

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