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.
- 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.
- the Escitalopram (generic for Lexapro) in my drawer that has made my life infinitely easier to live
- 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.
- the waterproof Lancôme Hypnôse mascara that never smudges under my eyes
- my toenail cutters- Long toenails are repulsive to me.
- 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
- 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.
- my tinted chap sticks in peony and raisin
- the fan that I had put in a couple of years ago, that keeps the ceiling paint from peeling
- cotton balls to take off my eye make up and nail polish
- my pink blow dryer and gold curling iron
- 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.
- my clinical strength, fearlessly fresh, smooth solid Secret deodorant and antiperspirant
- toilet paper and that we never ran out of it in March
- the gold painted plate my friend, Pelin, gave to me for reading a poem in her wedding, that I rest my earrings on
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- my Diva Cup – I’ll spare you the details, but it’s amazing.
- 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.