White Masks We Hide Behind

Not so sure my son would be happy about me posting this pic of the little home facial that I'm giving him, but I'm betting he never really knows about it!

I'm an esthetician by trade, a mother by heart, a friend by soul, and a human by nature. I've put a lot of masks as an esthetician on people over the years to hydrate, oxygenate, moisturize and energize. But my personal favorite is the kaolin clay mask. This type of a mask dries on the skin and helps to purge the pores of all the debris that has been trapped that causes you to break out.

Over the years as I have performed many facials on people my rewards were always so far beyond the temporal gains because of the way I was able to share and relate with so many people. There was often times more purging of the soul than purging of the pores. Not exactly sure how, or why, but people often trusted me early and often. I am grateful for that and I feel they had every reason, for I cared very deeply for them and I never broke a confidence.

After being in the beauty industry for over 25 years now I have now moved to a different sector of business. I learned very early in the beauty industry that beauty was just about having the skills and the know how to put it all together. I guess when I think of all the years I spent in our salon, the work I am most proud of is that if I lifted someones spirits enough so that they felt as though they were beautiful and worthwhile just as they are...no mask necessary...no makeup, no hairstyle...no nothin'. In fact I love them that much more, more purely and easily when they didn't have to be perfect.

We wear a lot of masks in our lives. We don't recognize that we do. I believe we have to wear many different hats in our lives, the chauffeur hat, the chefs hat--I liked my dog trainer hat, but why so many masks? Do the masks we wear beget themselves from fear derived from within ourselves (internally) or outside (externally)? Personally speaking mine have come from both. My awareness of these particularly recently and my desire to clean my face has helped me to work on breaking free. It's a scary thing. I have come to realize how comfortable certain masks are. Just as a blanket is when it is cold.

Here are some lines from a song that I love...
Another Place to Fall by--KT Tunstall
There isn't much more I can say
For I don't understand the delay
You're asking for friendly advice
And remaining in permanent crisis
Affection is yours if you ask
But first you must take off your MASK
When you're back's turned I've decided I'll throw it away just like I did

I wash my face every day. Actually twice a day, I still break out. I still use a white kaolin clay mask too and I have other masks because I fear, I fear a lot of things...but I'm working on it.