1. Ivory Soap.
More than anything, Ivory soap reminds me of my grandmother. Now that she's not really who she used to be anymore, anything that reminds me of the way she used to be hits a bit of a soft spot for me. Gram used to actually use Ivory Snow detergent, the old kind that came in the box. And when she couldn't find that, she would actually shave up bars of Ivory soap and wash her clothes with that instead. I loved her improvisational way of doing things. I wish I could be that resourceful. Anyway, I'm not really sure what possessed me, but I was feeling a little nostalgic recently, and I picked up a few bars of Ivory at the store about a week ago and have been washing my face with it ever since. I'm trying to limit myself to once a day (I read an article in Prevention magazine not long ago that said that washing your face more than once a day can prematurely age your skin), and it's become my favorite part of my bedtime ritual. It's funny, for all the money I could spend on fancy soaps with moisturizers and anti-aging complexes, there's really nothing that could compete with that classic, clean scent.
2. Fitness.I'd be the last person in the world to say that I love working out. I still can't really wrap my head around people who spend half their lives in the gym. That said, a couple of months ago, I started noticing that I'd gotten a little soft around the middle. My pants were starting to feel uncomfortable, my sides were sagging, and I felt jiggling in all sorts of places whenever I walked. I got bummed out whenever I looked in the mirror, and I hated that. So I made a decision. I started getting up an hour earlier every morning to work out, and worked out for another 35 minutes or so when I got home from work at night. Before long, I was forced to buy new sneakers. I was elated. After four years with the same pair of sneakers, I'd managed to wear them out in three weeks. So I bought a nice pair of Nikes with the promise to myself that I'd make it worth the investment by keeping up my routine every day. After six weeks, I'm hardly ready to run a decathlon, but my butt is smaller, I've stopped jiggling, and the only thing that's sagging is the waistline of my pants. Sometimes I'll pull my muscles as taut as I can possibly get them just to feel how strong they're getting. I don't know that I'll ever be able to call myself "athletic," but if I keep at it, I may at least tack a few years onto my lifespan.
3. Finding my smile.Like I said, life is a thing to be enjoyed. It sounds like such a simple concept, but it never was for me. It was so much easier to scowl. And a lot of times, it still is. There are so many things I still frown or pout or glower about, because I'm scared or angry or sad. But I'm learning not to dwell or pine or waste time wishing for things I simply have no control over. There's a lot to be said for that whole serenity thing. Do what you can, let go of what you can't. And watch a lot of stupid sitcoms. It really is good for the heart.
4. Grapefruit.I was reading about the health benefits of grapefruit and citrus... Vitamin C, antioxidants, etc., and I thought I'd give it a whirl. I've never really been a citrus person, so I thought I'd probably try it for a week or so and ditch it. More and more, though, I really enjoy having half of one each morning. They're just bitter enough to be tangy with enough sweetness to take the edge off. Fringe benefit: they're supposed to help with fat burning. And I eat them with those special grapefruit spoons with the serrated edges. One more thing that reminds me of Gram.
5. Falling into bed.For most people, bedtime is merely the punctuation at the end of the day. You lay down, head hits the pillow, roll over into your favorite position, and that's pretty much that until the alarm rings. But I think I've discovered and almost perfected the fine art of climbing into bed. It's a slow, deliberate process that's as relaxing as a long, hot bath. I kneel on the sheets, rolling over onto my back, and I feel myself sink into the mattress like it's an ocean. I let out a long, slow breath and arch my back, stretching my limbs as far as they'll go before letting them fall limp and heavy. Bonus points if I manage a yawn here. Then I turn over onto my right side (your methods may vary here, of course) and nestle my head into the pillow. It's a very brief thing, but it's immensely satisfying, and I still maintain that it puts me in a much better position to wake up in the morning. Speaking of which...
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