Preface: Keep in mind the post I am about to write comes as I begin to dig myself out of the rut of first trimester yuckiness. In those early weeks of pregnancy, I am prone to spend most of every day in pajamas, sleeping, whimpering, or gagging--sometimes combining the three into a veritable symphony of misery. I face a terrible irony in those days in that my tongue suddenly becomes a piece of sand paper two sizes too large for my mouth and my mouth always tastes like something terrible no matter what I have or have not eaten. I desperately want to brush my teeth all the time. The irony is that when you add the toothbrush to the too large tongue and the propensity to gag constantly, very bad things happen. Very bad things that erase the momentary mintiness and leave you with a taste in your mouth that makes you want to brush your teeth. You get the picture, right? I spend a large portion of the first trimester trying to hide the fact that I'm brushing my teeth from my own mouth, or on the worst days, settling for Watermelon Extra chewing gum and a scrub of my teeth with the washcloth. I know it's gross, but it's true. So, there's your background, people. Aren't you glad you stopped by today?
Premise: I am a firm believer that the way I dress and care for my personal appearance has an effect on the way I perform as a wife and a mother each day. Don't tell my mother I said that. I was so scathingly superior to her in my tender years when she would suggest, as she always did, "a little blush and lipstick". And I teased her often about the fact that she really couldn't function well without earrings. A day without earrings for her was like those nightmares you used to have about showing up at school without a shirt on? (Please tell me you had those nightmares, or I'm looking really foolish right about now.) Anyway, these days my tune has changed. I know well that people dress professionally for work for a reason, and that if everyone went to work in pajamas or workout pants every day, we'd be in one big mess right about now. The same applies to me in my work here in my home. It is my daily duty to bring beauty, joy, discipline, and excellence to my home. I am much more disposed to seek these things when I am dressed for the task. And people are much more likely to follow my lead if I look the part.
Problem: So my problem is not with the theory. I believe wholeheartedly in the theory. My problem is with the practice. I go through phases when the practice seems effortless. I rise, I groom, I dress. Heck, I even primp a bit. And then I go through phases where I know I will feel so much better if I put that theory into practice, but everything in my body clings to those pajama pants and hoodie like they were the source of life itself, and getting dressed for real is only for leaving the house--sending everyone in the house the message that whoever is out there is infinitely more important than they are. Breaking out of the first trimester slump is one of those times. Postpartum is another. And then there are just the regular, life is overwhelming and I'm all out of sorts, and I'd kind of like to give up and crawl back into bed and my outward appearance says just that times. How do you resist the temptation to fall into sloppiness on these stretches or break it if you have given in? That has been my dilemma.
Proposed Solution: So this morning, I started the day with the battle against the pajama pants. The coffee had been sipped. The prayers had been prayed. There had been a lovely early morning chat with my sister. Breakfast was in the making. Little people were stirring. It was time to shake off early morning fog and move forward. But my body likes early morning fog these days--its slowness, its warm comfort, its lack of demands and expectations. And so the battle began. But early on, I gratefully remembered that I could once again brush my teeth. "Well, that's better than nothing," I thought, totally unaware that what was about to unfold was something of a circular nature much like the events that unfold in these well-loved stories.
It goes something like this:
If you give your mouth a toothbrush, it'll feel all minty and tingly and fresh inside.
It'll direct you to grab the nearby deodorant and hairbrush and make use of them.
If you have fresh underarms and tidy hair, your pajamas will seem a ridiculously unkempt match for them and they will insist that you get dressed in real clothes.
If you get dressed in real clothes and glance at your lovely self in the mirror, you will notice that a sweet necklace and pair of dainty earrings would make you look so polished.
If you put on those earrings, they will insist that they deserve the compliment of freshly pinked cheeks and glossy lips.
If you gloss up your lips, they will undoubtedly relish their prettiness and desire to stay that way. Pretty lips stay pretty by saying kind, gentle, complimentary things.
Moms who say kind, gentle, complimentary things find themselves the beneficiaries of cooperation and respect from their children.
Cooperation and respect from children create peaceful, productive days in the home.
Peaceful, productive days enhance order and rhythm and create joy.
Order and joy are pleasing to the man who leaves the house each day to source provision for his family.
A pleased husband speaks words of praise and gratitude.
Praise and gratitude make a woman feel appreciated.
Appreciation motivates us to pursue excellence.
Excellence is achieved in the small, daily efforts.
And so we rise again the next day and seek to shake off the morning's fog, toothbrush in hand.
Resolved: Prayer time, one cup of coffee, breakfast prep....then straight to the toothbrush, and you know the rest....
