Gratitude Day 8

Last night, while taking a shower, I started thinking about writing a post about what I am grateful for in my bathroom. I thought it would be super easy, quick, and fun to write. In fact, this list was the most humbling and difficult thing I have ever created. The inequities of the world burn through it and make me feel physically uncomfortable. Yet, I vow to notice and be grateful for it all.

1. my tube of lash boost – I paint it on where my eyelashes meet my eyelid and it actually makes my eyelashes grow which makes me feel a little bit prettier.
2. the Escitalopram (generic for Lexapro) in my drawer that has made my life infinitely easier to live
3. my flushing toilet – In 2013, 60 percent of the world’s population did not have access to flushing toilets. In 1990, the year my brother graduated from high school, a half a million Americans used latrines.
4. the waterproof Lancôme Hypnôse mascara that never smudges under my eyes
5. my toenail cutters- Long toenails are repulsive to me.
6. my anti aging products – eye brightener, under eye cream, day cream, night cream, a daily cleansing mask, pore minimizing toner, neck cream and a rejuvenation mask to be used once or twice a week
7. the fresh drinking water that comes out of my tap – One third of the world’s population does not have access to clean drinking water.
8. my tinted chap sticks in peony and raisin
9. the fan that I had put in a couple of years ago, that keeps the ceiling paint from peeling
10. cotton balls to take off my eye make up and nail polish
11. my pink blow dryer and gold curling iron
12. the outlet that I plug them into and the lights, I turn on with a switch – 13 percent of the world’s population does not have electricity.
13. my clinical strength, fearlessly fresh, smooth solid Secret deodorant and antiperspirant
14. toilet paper and that we never ran out of it in March
15. the gold painted plate my friend, Pelin, gave to me for reading a poem in her wedding, that I rest my earrings on
16. five toothbrushes- 1.2 billion people in the world live on less than a dollar a day and cannot afford a toothbrush. Many in Africa use their finger and mud from the walls of their hut to brush their teeth. Members of poor families in Liberia all share the same toothbrush
17. the huge bottles of fancy Davines, Italian shampoo with simple, beautiful packaging, that I bought in the summer of 2020 to support the salon the hairdresser (who has cut my hair since I got married 16 and a half years ago ) owns.
18. the Spongellé, Bulgarian Rose bodywash infused buffer that makes my bathroom smell amazing and I never again want to go without, but I bought it for the same reason as #17
19. my Diva Cup – I’ll spare you the details, but it’s amazing.
20. the fact that my bathroom is in my home – 211,293 people not only are homeless in America, but do not have access to shelter. 567,715 people are homeless.