Instead of thinking about the psychological effects of a year in quarantine, I am choosing instead to make a list of the most BELOVED items I have purchased during this time. Contrary to a list I put out last summer of impulse-gone-wrong buys (lookin’ at you, sequined face mask), each one of these has significantly improved my life in some way (and taken up enough time that I am distracted from the crushing state of world affairs!)
1. A kinetic sand kit. Fun fact: this was a gift for my toddler. True fact: I use it more than she does. It is a stress reliever, sculpture tool, and something to do with your hands instead of eating corn chips by the fistful.
2. Blank journals. Never did I think I’d have so much to say about… nothing! But I do. Part time-capsule, part crappy ‘zine, and part gratitude journal. I’ve filled book after book with my Groundhog Day musings. (Shout out to Attic Journals for saving the planet with their recycled designs).
3. A defuzzer. Believe me when I tell you I didn’t know I needed this, but after wrestling with some sweater fuzz and a razor for the better part of a half-hour, I took to Amazon. Behold! A little device that will have your tatters looking brand new.
4. Beauty growth serums. These don’t seem like they would take up a lot of time but trust, once you’ve coated your eyelashes, applied your new retinol face mask, and massaged the potion all over your scalp that promises to give you an inch in a month… you’ve earned yourself a nice little lie-down.
5. A bread scale. Like many of my quarantine compatriots, I’ve been dabbling in the sourdough game. But I’ve been stubborn, refusing to invest in a scale, which every recipe/baker/well meaning neighbor says (demands) you should have. I finally caved during a sale and let me tell you: my bread now tastes like bread. And now, it’s not such a crap shoot when I finally open the oven. Considering the crap shoot this last almost year (HOW CAN IT BE?!) has been, I’m currently all about anything that gives me comfort.
This leads me to:
6. My collection of sweatshirt dresses. Yes. You heard right (collection). And yes, there is nothing like the sheer joy of dressing up… in sweatshirt. There is nowhere on my body I don’t want a sweatshirt. Wait- is sweatshirt underwear a thing or have we unearthed something incredible?!
*Side note: I get no kickbacks from anything on this list, just the sheer bliss that someone may benefit from these trinkets from heaven. Now off to figure out if a sweatshirt thong is a hit or a miss…
