Way back, when I was deciding what to call my blog, my first inclination was: Plucking Gray Nose Hairs! You can go to the gym, eat less than 1000 calories a day, and get lyposuction. There are so many ways to fight the signs of aging. But GRAY NOSE HAIRS!!!??? Those little bastards like to remind you, you can run but you can’t hide. It never fails. I’ll be all dressed up, in the car on my way somewhere, and the sun hits at just the right angle. Oh, hello there!!! How on earth could a silver hair, long enough to measure with a ruler, go undetected?! Undetected that is, until you find yourself in a position where you have NO WAY to fix it!
“Maybe it’s a nose hair”, said Carol after she changed her mask for a second time. The daily entertainment of wearing a shitty-ass hospital provided mask for 12 hours, is full of endless possibilities. Feeling like there’s always something in there. Tiny fibers that will end up causing a class-action lawsuit for pulmonary fibrosis 10 years from now??? When Carol claimed it may be a nosehair, I literally started to laugh.
Considering the current state of affairs where everyone (well mostly everyone) is unselfishly wearing masks, there is definitely a positive side to the situation. Bad breath, broccoli in your teeth, forgot to brush your teeth…there are benefits far beyond keeping your germs to yourself! In some regards, I could find refuge in a masked world. Whether I’m preventing myself from offending, or grateful to not be offended, there could be worse things I’m required to do.
Until Carol mentioned her own unwanted furry appendages, I didn’t really think about it. When WAS the last time I pulled out my tiny scissors or tweezers? (Yes, I know, there are electric devices to handle the “lawn maintenance” but I haven’t yet graduated to that.) Like shaving your legs, the more you shave, the more you have to shave. The same holds true for nosehairs. So, tweezers it is… Yes, pulling out your nosehairs via old-school method, with a pair of tweezers, is torture. If you have a need to cry on demand it is a sure-fire way of making that happen. Clearly, I’m not the only one who has this area on the frequent “maintenance list”.
If I can give you any advice regarding nosehairs in a masked world…BEWARE! While we are getting used to the fact of being able to hide everything from a snarky smirk to what we ate for lunch. Nosehairs are flourishing! If you think there’s “something” in your mask, think again. That moment will come when we least expect it. They’ll be unmasked and gleaming in the sun!
Within the past year, my youngest (17y.o.) trusted us enough to share she was part of the LGBTQ community. She has a girlfriend. They went to the prom together. She is becoming more open, expressing herself as an individual and who she’s choosing to love. Every time she comes home from somewhere I do a silent scan of her mood and demeanor to see if I can pick up on any negativity she experienced. I want to protect her. I want to make sure no harm comes her way. I want to stand in front and clear a path of all hatred and bigotry. But I can’t. 
Those who know me well will say it’s because one of the co-hosts fits my affinity toward bald black men. Yes, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (former pro-football player) is completely dreamy and is an added bonus for watching. But mostly I love to watch because I admire the determination of the competitors. Anyone who can persevere through tough training for an end goal that may not come to fruition, inspires me. I love the tenacity, the grit, the I can do it attitude, the test of a human spirit. 
I’ve never been the mom to have homemade cookies waiting warm for the “kiddies” once they came off the bus. Screw that! If I wasn’t working a 13 hour shift I was taking a nap to recover from one. 
Laughable Life 