The Beautiful Skin We Are In

The skin we live in is what holds our bodies together. It is our exterior, and can have an enormous impact on our position and place on this earth. Sometimes, when I am really sad, I have strong desires to crawl right out of it... I would fill my body with robotic parts and hide away for a bit...giving my heart the needed rest from the storms it has weather.
Other times, I look into the mirror, right through my icy blue eyes...and somehow, my skin looks misplaced. I joke with my friends, and regularly tell them that I should have been born half black and jewish. I guess that's my way of saying my interior being can feel unrepresented by my lily white,sensitive, freckled, skin.
And then, there are those times...those times where I look down on the tops of my bare shoulders, and feel an overwhelming amount of joy for what I have been blessed with...and for what I inadvertently take for granted. My skin has been with me...has held me together. I look at my hands, small, thin, a bit weathered, and beautiful in their own right. No matter what skin you have been blessed to be within, I can promise you that it too is beautiful in it's own right. My mom has always liked to show off and ask others about their battle scars..for her, it is a sign of a life well lived. I on the other hand, enjoy wrinkles. I have always loved the deep creases that line my grandfathers mouth. Just one look at him makes you want to stop and listen to his life's story. Some call wrinkles around the eyes and mouth laugh lines, but I like to think of them as life lines.
If wrinkles and scars are in my beauty category, when what is possibly in my ugly category...dry, irritated skin. Skin that is ashy, cracked, and peeling makes me sad, for it is a true sign of (intentional or unintentional) neglect. When I find my skin in a flaky delemma, I like to soak in herbal oatmeal washes. They tend to wash and nourish the skin without drying out ones natural oils. If you can find the time, which I hope you can, try one out...just a simple thank you to your skin can go a long way.

Herbal Oatmeal Wash Bags
- cut off the foot of an old pair of tights. One will need a pouch about 6 inches in length.
- fill the pouch up with oatmeal and an herb of your choice. Chamomile and lavender are great because of their healing characteristics.
- Close up the top of your pouch with a knot. The pouch can be used in both a bath and shower.
-One pouch can last only a day (and if you shower morning and night, place in a plastic bag and put in fridge during the time interim).