Leg Shaving and Other Assorted and Sundry Tasks

 

I shaved my legs today. That, my friends, is a big deal for me. I have no plans for a pedicure in the coming days, nor am I headed immediately to a pool or the beach. I just shaved my legs for the heck of it.

 

Well, I was in my brother- and sister-in-law’s hot tub the other day. So they could have potentially noticed the longer-than-the-hair-on-my-head leg hair. But it was dark. And no one got close enough to accidentally brush against my extremities to notice I wasn’t clean shaven.

 

But I digress. 

Shaving my legs is hardly earth-shattering news. "Big deal," you say? You shave your legs every day…or every third day…or once a week on Wednesdays. Or whatever leg-shaving schedule you have implemented for yourself. (Talkin' to the women now, you understand. But if you're a man and you shave your legs, well... you do you!)

 

Anyway, I used to have that kind of schedule. Certainly as a young adult I did. But since Vince passed, I don’t seem to care much if my legs are smooth – or the hair is so long it can be braided.

 

The thing is, I really can’t see the hair on my legs. It’s very light – always has been – and so it doesn’t occur to me to shave it in the shower when I absolutely cannot see what I’m doing. Plus, I’ve never had that needle-sharp stubble that can cause scarring should my hand accidentally brush against my unshaven shin.

 

Perhaps if I had a dark, gorilla-thick pelt, I’d be shaving way more regularly.  I’m not even sure that’s a good look for the gorillas, but PETA would have my hide (ha) were I to suggest they start shaving gorillas.

 

I do try to catch up on the leg-shaving thing when I’m headed for the pool or the beach. This usually results in my noticing after the fact that I’ve missed several areas with the long sprouts glistening in the sun.

 

I also try to shave my legs a couple days before a pedicure. But I haven’t been having regular pedicures lately, so the leg shaving process has flown straight out the window. The last time I did have a pedicure, I forgot to shave a couple days prior and I've always heard you shouldn't shave the same day you have an appointment. So I didn't. Well, the technician had a bright light shining on the foot basin. When I looked down, the foot-long hairs growing along my legs were clearly illuminated for all to see. Ack!

 

And, okay, so it wasn’t quite that long. Honest.

 

Nevertheless, I realize that there are a lot of things I don’t do for myself anymore that I used to do on a regular basis.

 

I was the kind of person who had towel-washing days, and weekly bed-changing schedules and silver-polishing Saturdays. The moment Vince opened a container of beef stock for the soup he was preparing, I added “beef stock” to my grocery list.

 

A lot of that kind of organization is no more. I rarely make soup, so there isn’t a need for beef stock. Instead, I pick up a container of ready-made heat-and-eat Home Chef soup.

 

When a person loses someone - especially their spouse – people are sad for them. They’re kind, consoling and caring. They figure the surviving spouse will get over the shock, then grieve, then move on. And if they haven’t been through the process themselves, they’re surprised to hear that more than two-and-a-half years later I can still get misty when I pass the containers of beef stock on the shelf at Kroger.

 

There are days still when cleaning up the kitchen seems like a monumental task. When I can’t make myself take a shower and wash my hair. Or when I don’t care if the mail piles up on the kitchen table.

 

This was not me in the Before.

 

Because I recognize this, I have little tricks to make myself care. I schedule lunches or dinners with friends and family because I would never be unkempt in public.  I plan trips to visit people because I know that interaction with others is important and good for my soul. And I invite people over to my place so I have to do more than the bare minimum in home clean-up and maintenance.

 

But this morning when I woke up, I felt like getting some things done. I stepped in the shower and washed my hair. And then I picked up the razor and started shaving my legs.

 

After I got dressed, I was motivated to strip the bed, clean the bathrooms and unload the dishwasher. I’ve already started the second load of laundry and emptied the trash cans – even though trash day isn’t until Thursday.

 

Wow. What’s come over me?

 

I’m not sure, but I’m happy to have these sorts of productive days.

 

I may have to re-implement a regular leg-shaving schedule. After all, self-care is a good thing. And if it gets me to collect the trash early without rushing around on Trash Day and then racing down the driveway with my trash can as the truck is approaching, well, that can only be a win-win.

 

Since I’ve gotten so much done, I’ve decided I’ve earned a break. So I’m writing this blog, while Maggie is snoozing on the chair across from me. But soon enough, she will be up and expecting her fourth walk of the day.

 

And then I will have to put away laundry, make the bed and prepare myself something to eat.

 

Good thing I have some ready-made, heat-and-eat Home Chef soup in the fridge, huh? (Hey, baby steps. Cooking an entire pot of soup for one just seems silly. I get sick of it far too quickly – and I find I’m not one to freeze and thaw ready-made meals. Something I should work on.)

 

Anyway, I hope you had a productive weekend and Monday. Let’s see what else is in store for the rest of the week?

 Oh, and p.s. - I didn't really have "silver-polishing Saturdays." I did, however, occasionally have grout-scrubbing Thursdays, which, in retrospect might have been a little worse than having silver-polishing Saturdays.