I was about 11 when I started wearing makeup. Full on, entire lid covered, bright blue metallic eye shadow. My girlfriend and I wore it day and night for three weeks before our jazz dance teacher told us we couldn’t come back to class until we had agreed to a costume change.
After that, I was big into wearing anything I could find in my older sister’s closet. She was off to college, so I figured everything left in her bedroom was fair game. I would cram my size 8 feet into her size 6 shoes just because they had a glamorous two inch heel.
Man I so wanted to grow up.
So here I am, with a drawer full of makeup (yes, I still own blue eye shadow though I never sport it), a closet full of heels (which I take every possible measure to avoid wearing) and most people would agree I’m all grown up — which is the problem.
Somewhere in my continual effort to mature, I was successful. Too successful.
I became an adult who forgot how to let loose like a kid.
Are you with me? Did you drink the adult kool-aid too?
I was reminded of the flat out fun of being playful and creative and kid-ish last night at Lowe’s.
Yep, Lowe’s.
I needed to buy a new garbage can and I’ve been putting it off for weeks because it sounds hard. And boring. And expensive. And adult-y.
Besides, it’s like 4 miles from my house and there are 150,000 potholes between my door and Lowe’s. I have to mentally gird my loins for that kind of dodgeball.
Alas, last night I found myself with two teenage girls in the car and 35 minutes to blow before I dropped them off. So what better way to do a terrible task than with two kids moaning about how terrible it is?
Only they didn’t moan at all about how terrible it was. Instead they did this.
One girl got in the garbage can to test it’s durability and the other rolled her around the store, right up to the checkout where we scared the bejeepers out of the clerk and all the other customers.
It was epic.
I was 13 again. Only without the acne, drama and Guess jeans.
I thought I’d share that little story with you on the off chance that you’re feeling a little too grown up for your own good. Maybe today as you go about your business you’ll find a moment or two to break free— jump into a garbage can and giggle.
