Saving Face.

There is the woman I am today, and then… there is the woman I want to be.  

I strive to be like her,

she has an incredible amount of dignity

and self-respect

and respect for all other peoples/creatures.

Much of her strength is rooted in her pride of being

A woman.  

I admire this “desired self”, and I often seek her advice through journaling.

But recently she’s called me out…

Because she does not wear makeup.

And I do, mostly for the wrong reasons. 

I am not anti-makeup.  I am anti-insecurity, I am anti-objectification. 

I believe a woman or man can adorn themselves, having completely the right attitude. 

However, I caught myself with an attitude misaligned with mass-media defined beauty.  Beauty truly defined by a capitalist system, encouraging me to consume, consume, consume the right lotion, mascara, foundation, ect.   Beauty that I am supposed to buy so, at the end of the day, I feel better about myself?

Well, its 10:30 PM, and I am feeling pretty self-conscious that I caught myself hiding behind what Vogue and Desperate Housewives have defined a face worth “wearing.” 

… but I gotta face!   

So, until my attitude is in check, this is the one you all are going to be stuck looking at for awhile! 

And anyway, I’d like to think,

The best foundation is a little sun,

The best blush is a good laugh,

The best eye shadow is a full night’s sleep.

*disclaimer: I am not anti-Desperate Housewives, it is hilarious.* 

All my Love, 

KJ

Getting Started:

2.0 miles. 

Sweating, breathing, burning through twenty minutes of my Sunday morning. 

But the endorphins lasted all day – put a smile on my face and a skip in my step. .

Crazy Endorpho Eyeballs and Sweet Sweat!

I am running a half marathon with my sis after this summer comes to its end, so my training starts today.

So, to get started, I ask myself?  What’s my purpose?

I might say to be healthy, to push myself, to achieve a goal…

Eh, all these are great reasons to run.

But, that’s not what I’m getting at. 

My purpose to run is in the very act.  I feel powerful when I run, and I feel a closer relationship to my surroundings and to my own body.  

I might sound nutty,

But I know when I don’t run, and I down five cups of coffee a day and sit in the library for hours pouring over my anatomy notes- I feel disconnected and weak. 

So, the journey begins again, as a runner.  It makes a huge difference recognizing why I run. 

This reminds me the importance of asserting our purpose in all we do. 

If you sit down, and take some time to confront why something in your life is valuable to you, what is its purpose... 

you may fall deeper in love

or maybe fall out of love?

It is easy to defend what you love, so challenge yourself, your habits, your hobbies. 

My defense for loving to run is locked and loaded in my heels, and I’m ready to hit the pavement even harder than before. 

My sister and I last Fall

All my love, 

KJ

Bad Habits. 

My bad habit: I am an uncommitted person. 

The first idea that may come to mind when talking about commitment may be "relational commitment"; but what I’m talking about has greater breadth.   

I am a passionate person, but without commitment, there is no perseverance.  Passion is the spark that starts the fire, but perseverance leads to achieving goals, progressing.

I am passionate about running, but I still cannot run more than 4 miles.  I am passionate about people, yet I ignore endless opportunities to use my actions to better the lives of people in my community, I am passionate about health, and yet unhealthy habits still seem to rule my life.    

 My sister is the epitome of the word perseverance; she is living proof that commitment creates the beautiful things.  However, she is also a testament to the fact that commitment (to even the things we love most in life) is hard work. 

Why don’t I persevere?

Shamefully, I think I ignore my commitments when things get rough, when it is not so fun/exciting/new.  My mom always called my our family’s princess because I have the tendency to get distracted by the way things make me feel in the moment, and then I react strongly (passionate side coming out.) 

I never give up on anything. I neglect. 

...and without giving attention to what is most important, these things begin to fade.    

So, Princess Jones has dethroned herself, embracing my self imposed coup d'état. 
...and this, I am committed to.      

Wipe that Food Right on Your Face!

The most important part of my evening ritual is washing my face.  I rinse the grime of the day down the sink and nuzzle a fresh face into my pillow.  Calm, clean, sweet dreams.

Lately, I have been making some effort to adopt more natural and homemade beauty products.  Not only can I feel comfortable knowing exactly what I’m shloppin’ on my face, but I also save $$$$ on expensive, brand-washed facial cleansers.    

After looking at the ingredients list on my store-bought facial cleanser, I thought it might require a chemistry set and some crazy ingredients to make my own effective face wash.  

nope!  Turns out after a little research, I already had all the things I needed in my kitchen: yogurt, honey, and oatmeal!

Because the cleanser should stay on about 15minutes, I would recommend incorporating it into the evening.  However, if you are an early bird, go for it!

Oatmeal and Honey Cleanser

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup raw oats 

2 tablespoons honey 

1/4 cup plain yogurt 

Supplies: 

Blender

Small Tupperware Container.

Whirl up all the goods in a blender/food processor.

Pour into small Tupperware container.

Store in Frigidaire (makes apprx. 1 week's supply)

Smooth over face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes.  Rinse w/warm water and pat dry!

Who says your face wash can't be a bed time snack as well? 

Enjoy!

All my love, 

Katie Mae