I find it hard to answer, maybe because I don’t apply contours, foundation and the beige-coloured powder. I do not fix lashes, neither do I shave my brows to draw a penciled line.
However, I did visit the mirror to say hello to my reflection. I smiled into the mirror with my hairline racing away from my forehead. My perfect dentition showed a diastema between my teeth and that sight sent reverberating waves through my body. “You are an excellently crafted masterpiece,” my inner mind whispered. I left the mirror with a cheered confidence and aura.
Dear Osita, while trying to answer your question, permit me to ask, does self-care mean walking into into a supermarket to buy an ice cream just because my taste buds long for one? Does it mean rushing to Mama Chidera’s canteen to eat white rice and Banga soup once my stomach rumbles? Does it mean cleaning my earbuds once I feel they are dirty? Or brushing my teeth, sleeping well, reading good books and listening to soulful music? Does it?
I remember going home from work the other day. A young lady paid my fare. I was thankful. The smile on my face was contagious and I felt my age reduced in that instant. The next morning, I communed with my Creator, did a little yoga. Then I took a walk. A walk with no gadget whatsoever, revelling in the atmosphere and enjoying the works of nature. Hugs, handshakes, leg-shakes are also gestures that keep me sane in an insane community. I remember getting myself a bicycle as I had always yearned for it since childhood.
Dear Osita, in conclusion, I think this piece I’m writing is creativity, and creativity helps boost my mental well-being. I want to believe that self-care is happiness and happiness is self-care. If not, pray, tell, Osita what is?
Yours truly,
Steph.
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