I made a very serious decision about my life today.
And I think by sharing it with you, it will make it easier for me to actually follow through.
This decision has everything to do with weaning.
Now, don’t get confused! I don’t have a one year old you don’t know about!
I’m talking about chapstick.
I think most of you know how much I love Blistex. And other kinds too, but mostly Blistex. I’ve been hooked on the stuff for years.
Yesterday I went to Salt Lake for the day to teach my friend Emily’s 9th grade Geography classes about art and how it shows culture. It was SO, SO fun. I now know for sure that I would love to spend my life teaching about art. The day flew by and even by the 7th period I was STILL EXCITED (extra credit if you know what that is from. Because I’m a teacher now, get it?) about the art, and I just wanted to scream at those kids, “Do you know how lucky you are? Do you know that you live in a world where everyone can be an artist, and anything is art? Do you know what freedom you have?” Anyway, the point is—I had no chapstick with me. I had some other lip products on my purse, but no actual chapstick.
By about noon, my lips were dry.
By about 3:00, I felt a little burn.
And by the evening, they were red and I could SEE the dryness.
That is ridiculous. I like to think I can do what I want. I don’t like people telling me what to do. So why am I a slave to my chapstick? Why do I let it control my life?
NO MORE.
I’m going to do a couple of things to combat this problem:
1. Drink more water
2. Think about it less. Mind over matter.
3. Use Vaseline or Vitamin E tablets very seldom, like once or twice a day, to help wean me off. I can’t just go cold turkey with NOTHING on my lips, get real.
4. Where did cold turkey come from? Thanksgiving leftovers? GET IT?
I hope that you can all be supportive of my decision and through this battle.
Thank you.
Also—does anyone have any other tips? Any other recovering junkies that can offer a helping hand?
PS again—Chris is going to be THRILLED about this! All this deep contemplating was done at work, and I have not yet shared this monumental decision with my companion. Maybe I’ll call him and tell him I have a surprise for when he gets home from work. He hates when I do that and then it’s something like this and not a REAL surprise, because he gets his hopes up for Polish sausage or something and then I’ll be like, “Look! I did my hair all crazy!” and then we’re both let down because he didn't get something he thinks is a "real surprise" and I didn't get a good reaction out of him. It’s a lose-lose situation.
7 comments:
Erin we are too much alike sometimes. it kind of scares me. Why don't we hang out more? and by more I mean, why don't we ever hang out?
anyway, I saw this commercial over thanksgiving about neosporn(sp?) lip balm and I started mocking it and laughing when it said, "no more re-applying chapstick over and over...you'll have rejuvinated lips in just 3 days!" I thought ' you know, by re-applying my chapstick over and over, my lips will be healed in 3 days too. that's not THAT impressive."
then...it happened. I've had a cold, and my lips were SOOOO dry. and I had to keep re-applying and re-applying my chapstick. and then Grace ate my chapstick. and then I couldn't find my other chapstick. and I panicked! we bought a 3 pack and it was more than 3 days later that my lips were STILL dry. and I thought, "I need that neosporn lip balm."
I'm super proud of you, Erin. I actually just got hooked on Blistex this past year because of all of the colds I've been having and I don't think I can go a day without it. Not only does it make my lips feel better, but it makes me less self-conscious about my lips always looking dry and cracked. So, let me know how the weaning goes.
how is the rehab going E-rin?
i am of no help here. i have been a chapstick-aholic since my high school days and i just can't stop. except i am no blistex girl...in fact, my lips don't belong to any one brand. that sounds slutty, doesn't it? but what i mean is one month i am all for burt's bees and another some fruity concoction. i am currently enjoying dr. pepper chapstick.
let me know if you find a cure.
I fully support you in this decision although I'll say good luck. Sometimes my lips get dry (I'm also a blistex addict) and I get all cranky cause I can't think about anything except for how my lips hurt real bad. (ha ha, no but really). Sometimes Peter even gets to the point where he asks if I'm mad at him or something cause I give off such grumpy auras until my lips are relieved. Drink water that should help. I thought moving to Texas would help, and it does some, but don't go out of your way to move cause I still use vaseline and chapstick all the time.
Wow...good for you. I don't think I could do it, although I don't think I'm as addicted as you are. Close, but not quite. But, you know what? There is this kid in my primary class at church (he is 6) and he is totally addicted to chapstick. If I pull it out in class he wants it, but I am not sharing with him...so anyway, he starts almost crying telling me that his lips hurt. It reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite. Anyway, fortunately his mom is also in Primary, so he can always get some chapstick, but I worry for him. He is only six and yet already so addicted. Good luck. You can do it...I know it.
Thanks, guys. SO far it's going well. I've used Vaseline a couple of times a day, but haven't used the Blistex or any other kind of actual chapstick. I've put on other lip stuff, just for color, becasue I'm not just going to run around with naked lips all the time, duh. I'm not trying to never use anything, just to not use chapstick. So far it's been ok. My lips are ptretty dry, but not as bad as I thought. The first day was the worst. They cracked and bled a tiny tiny bit, but other than that, pretty great.
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