the great unwashed
If you've seen me around town lately, let me just offer my apologies.
I know I stink.
You see, most weekdays I've been trying to find time to exercise at the YMCA. But the childcare center doesn't open there until 9 a.m. It doesn't make sense to me to get up, shower, fix my hair and apply makeup, only to sweat it all off mid-morning. So I don't shower before I go.
Nor does it make sense to me to load up the kids in the car, go to the gym, go back home for 35 minutes so I can shower and beautify myself, then load us all in the car again to run our various errands. There are showers at the YMCA, but there are no stalls--just one big open room, which happens to be the room you walk through on your way from the changing room to the pool. Moms with small boys taking swimming lessons frequently walk their kids through the shower room. It's a set-up designed for rinsing the chlorine out of your hair, with a swimsuit on--not really ideal for private full-body cleansing.
And so. On days when we have things to do, I frequently find myself at the library or the bank or the grocery store in my sweaty work-out clothes. Sometimes we do errands first, gym last, but I'm still going around town un-showered, makeup-less and wearing sweatpants (I know people call them "yoga pants" or "activewear" these days, but really. What's the difference?).
I'm kind of embarrassed about this, because going out in public in my sweatpants is something I've always tried to avoid, especially since I became a stay-at-home mom. I never wanted to be that kind of woman. You know, the kind who just "lets herself go" after she has kids, and stays in her sweatpants until noon, sitting around the house picking Cheerios out her unwashed hair.
Despite my embarrassment, I've found that in my current situation as a mom of three kids, efficiency and convenience sometimes trump appearances. I kind of wish I could pin a sign to my back that says: "Really, I'm not a lazy slob! I shower and fix my hair every day! I'm all grodey right now because I was virtuously exercising, not because I don't care about personal hygiene!"
But since I can't do that, you'll just have to imagine such a sign. And if you happen to be at the library or Target and you notice a mom in activewear with three little girls, and then you smell something a little less than soapy-clean, don't worry. It's not you.
It's me.
I know I stink.
You see, most weekdays I've been trying to find time to exercise at the YMCA. But the childcare center doesn't open there until 9 a.m. It doesn't make sense to me to get up, shower, fix my hair and apply makeup, only to sweat it all off mid-morning. So I don't shower before I go.
Nor does it make sense to me to load up the kids in the car, go to the gym, go back home for 35 minutes so I can shower and beautify myself, then load us all in the car again to run our various errands. There are showers at the YMCA, but there are no stalls--just one big open room, which happens to be the room you walk through on your way from the changing room to the pool. Moms with small boys taking swimming lessons frequently walk their kids through the shower room. It's a set-up designed for rinsing the chlorine out of your hair, with a swimsuit on--not really ideal for private full-body cleansing.
And so. On days when we have things to do, I frequently find myself at the library or the bank or the grocery store in my sweaty work-out clothes. Sometimes we do errands first, gym last, but I'm still going around town un-showered, makeup-less and wearing sweatpants (I know people call them "yoga pants" or "activewear" these days, but really. What's the difference?).
I'm kind of embarrassed about this, because going out in public in my sweatpants is something I've always tried to avoid, especially since I became a stay-at-home mom. I never wanted to be that kind of woman. You know, the kind who just "lets herself go" after she has kids, and stays in her sweatpants until noon, sitting around the house picking Cheerios out her unwashed hair.
Despite my embarrassment, I've found that in my current situation as a mom of three kids, efficiency and convenience sometimes trump appearances. I kind of wish I could pin a sign to my back that says: "Really, I'm not a lazy slob! I shower and fix my hair every day! I'm all grodey right now because I was virtuously exercising, not because I don't care about personal hygiene!"
But since I can't do that, you'll just have to imagine such a sign. And if you happen to be at the library or Target and you notice a mom in activewear with three little girls, and then you smell something a little less than soapy-clean, don't worry. It's not you.
It's me.
1 comments:
This post makes me smile. I often feel a little embarassed when people stop by my house and see my toy cluttered yard, dying plants on my front deck and hear loud children. I want to explain, I want to say how in spite of how it looks, life isn't chaos. But, truth be told, it is a bit of chaos!
It is amazing how those sweet little people come into our lives and transform us into people we never thought we would be, both for good and sometimes in areas that aren't so comfortable. But this season of life is good! Stinky and unkempt at times, but good!
Post a Comment