The night was draped in a gentle stillness. For once, I actually prepared for a nice, calming slumber. After taking a steaming hot shower, I decided to take on my long-abandoned beauty ritual.
With my hair set in rollers, I stirred up a unopened batch of facial cream, which I then spread all over my face. The minty fragrance left a calming tingle on my skin as it cooled and dried. In the meantime, I had my feet propped up on the tub for a quick pedicure job.
Perhaps it was the ease with which the evening unfolded, but I felt comfortable enough to pamper myself. Often, I opted to leave these things for the morning when time was already crunching down on me. However, as I sat on the toilet lid and spread ruby red nail polish on my toes, I started to regret my prior negligence.
I had ac
