IMHO

Change

Today I found soot marks all over my body. A few on my arms, a couple on my knees, one on my thigh (?!). Weird, huh...but not really, considering I've been on kitchen duty most of the day (puchero for the He Cares teens and, keeping with the theme of complicated Spanish ulam, cocido for family dinner). But the soot marks are par for the course - yesterday my jeans had their usual soot stain (from the Center's pots and pans) on one leg. I evened things out a bit by spilling a glass of water on the other.

Speaking of jeans, it's funny how they've become my daily uniform - I even wear jeans when I teach class now. I've never really worn jeans much - not even in high school or college - it was mostly trousers and dress pants and skirts and shorts. But now it's mostly jeans. With soot stains.

Soot stains and burn scars where tattoos should be (always wanted my name in alibata tattooed somewhere), jeans instead of skirts and power suits. Quite a change from what I've always been used to, but a welcome change nonetheless. Other changes have taken place since I started to embrace the more simple lifestyle that allows me to follow God a little more closely.

My weekly pedicures, for instance, are now apparently my annual pedicures. Yuck? Yeah, you bet, although I'm pretty much used to it by now despite being addicted to this beauty ritual for many, many years, to the extent of almost blowing 20 euros just to get my toes in tiptop shape (I even tried, in vain, to track down a Pinoy expat and fellow SAMASKOMer who was supposed to have put up a beauty salon in Paris...just to ensure my pedicures!).

Hmm, another thing that's changed is my taste in men, thank goodness. Was just thinking about that earlier today. I probably should title this entry "Same Jerk, Different Incarnation"...because that used to be the story of my life. I kept falling for the same kind of guy and ending up with the same results...Groundhog Day starring me instead of Bill Murray. And, just like the film, I saw which part of me needed to change: the part that fell for the same kind of jerk over and again. Heh heh. Just kidding. Or maybe not.

But change is good. Changing for the better, that is. Soot, jeans, unpedicured toes, non-jerks (or good grief, the ability to accept a jerk despite his jerk-dom?) - it's all good.

posted by Honey Oliveros @ 10:43 PM