When my friend Beth’s son was a youngster and the neck of a shirt was uncomfortable for him, he’d pull at the collar and tell her, “It bothers.” I guess even at the ripe old age of four, we all develop our own intolerables. For me a bad hair day can absolutely ruin my whole mood. And a bad haircut? Forget it! I once went into hiding for a few weeks after a hatchet job on my bangs!
Itchy clothes are a no for me, even if they look fabulous on the hanger and even better on the bod. I don’t like anything I have to worry about having to hike up or yank down. Pesky buttons that don’t stay closed or those hideous hook and eye closures at the nape of your neck that pull your hair right out of your scalp! Ouch and no thank you.
I once had the bright idea that “stay-ups,” those Uber fancy thigh highs from the lingerie brand Wolford, would actually stay up. Oh, no they di’int! I did a test run one freezing Winter day by walking from my office to a business lunch a few blocks away. Thank goodness I was wearing a long coat! The minute we entered the restaurant, I had to hightail it right into the ladies’ room to fix a major wardrobe malfunction– one leg had completely loosened and puddled at mid-knee! Talk about falling down on the job! Never again with those.
As a hands-on Mom, I got used to traveling with my own little collection of must-haves in my purse. These days I cart around a variety of Band-aids, lip balm, hand cream, a Swell filled with cold water, tissues, wipes, an extra mask, a little cash, a mini nail file, mints, empty Ziplocs, and an emergency hair tie. And you’d be surprised how often I’ve had to go into my stash for something urgent that I was grateful I had packed in my trusty City Survival Kit. I could seriously be on a gameshow with my collection of goodies! (C’mon down!)
But hey, I live here and I like to be prepared in case of whatever so that I don’t have to panic or buy retail for something I have at home in bulk. A foot blister or finger cut can be a day killer unless you can deal the moment you feel the rub. And dirty hands because you accidentally touched something gross? Ewwww– wipes please! I like to make trips out of the house as easy as possible and minimize the bother.
If you must know, I carry those Ziplocs around specifically for leftovers. Who wants to drag around a big, bulky Styrofoam number when you can coax a few chicken fingers right into a quart-sized plastic helper and slide those bad boys right into your purse with confidence that the honey mustard dressing on the side is safe in his own plastic ramekin.
Minimizing points of friction can be handled or avoided altogether in some cases. Not that I’ve thought of absolutely everything (c’mon, that would be impossible, right?), but I at least like to be prepared. And for me, dragging around a small arsenal of maybes that gives me confidence that help is at the ready at all times is positively no bother at all.
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