Make Up

Through the wonder of Facebook I found my friend Judy today. She moved away and we have not seen each other in many years. Our kids were good friends when they were teenagers and we shared a lot of the joys and trials of having adolescent children. We bonded.

Judy was, and probably still is, a Mary Kay lady. She almost got me to wear make up.

I have never worn make up. I always felt silly when I tried to wear it. I just figured it was not worth the effort for me. Judy thought I would like wearing make up and persuaded me to come to her house for a make up party. She assured me that it would be fun. I went and it was fun, but I was out of my comfort zone. We all received a sample of foundation cream and were told to apply it in the usual manner. I stared at it for a while and watched the other women. I just wasn't sure how to proceed. Finally I confessed I had never applied foundation cream and didn't know how. With a smile Judy instructed me on the fine art of applying make up. At the end of the evening all the women there said I looked beautiful. My cheeks were rosy. My eyelids were shadowed. My eyelashes looked long and lovely. My lips were rich and full. I looked almost stunning. I felt glamorous. Then I went home. I walked in the door feeling oh so pretty. My son looked up from his video game and stared at me. I prepared myself for his compliment. He said, “What's that stuff on your eyes. It makes you look weird.” I smiled knowing he was just an adolescent who did not appreciate beauty. I walked down the hall to show my beloved husband my beautiful new face. He stared at me and finally said, “What do you have all over face?” I sighed and asked if he didn't think I looked beautiful. He smiled and told me that I always looked beautiful. I washed off the make up and felt a bit relieved to just be me again.