Have you ever had one of those days where you go about your day with eye makeup on one eye and the other one completely bare? I’m not talking about having one of those days that FEELS like you’ve only put half your makeup on. I’m actually talking about literally going to town with one eye fully decked out in the latest eye makeup trends and the other one completely naked. Well, I recently had one of those days. Yep, I seriously walked around public places with one eye wide open and the other one looking half asleep.
You might be wondering how such a thing is even possible. I used to wonder the same thing. Of course, that was three kids ago when I was in my twenties. I honestly had moments where I felt sorry for “that lady”. You know, the lady you see in the grocery store lugging around a basket full of kids while having to carefully choose the items she places in her basket.
It’s not so much that her budget is tight that week and she’s unable to purchase the items she needs. Instead, it happens to be because the kids have all decided that they just have to ride in the grocery store basket together. Which leaves very little room in the basket for groceries. The very thing that brought her to town in the first place. And as you slowly pass her going down the same aisle you realize something looks odd about her eyes. It isn’t until you get right next to her and her basket handlebar lightly brushes your’s that you realize that she walked out of her house that morning with one eye wide open and the other one looking half asleep.
Witnessing a Wide Open Moment
“Poor thing”, you think to yourself. “She’s a little overwhelmed with life right now and has no idea what she’s done”. And you are right. At that moment she has no idea that she only has eye makeup on one eye. But once she gets all the kids loaded up in the car, the groceries thrown into the back seat and fastens her own seat belt she will glance in the rear view mirror.
And that’s when she will notice it for the first time. She will take a double take. She was only looking in the rear view mirror to make sure she didn’t backup into anything or anyone. But at her first glance she did the same thing you did when you passed her in the grocery aisle. “What is wrong with my eye?”, she thinks to herself. And that’s when it all hits her. All the stares she received that day start to make a lot more sense. And as she thinks back to her morning she remembers how it must have happened.
The Story Behind the Story
She was in front of the mirror working on the first eye when the baby started standing up in her highchair. So she ran into the dining room to add a few more raspberries to her tray. Which, thankfully, satisfied the baby long enough to let her get back in front of the mirror to start her mascara. With one eye wide open she started applying the mascara as the middle child yelled for help. It was an emergency according to her child, as it usually is, so she ran to help her. It must have been somewhere around that time that she realized they were late and had to leave. So she quickly loaded the kids up in the car, grabbed the diaper bag and took off for the day.
Well, that’s the lady I used to feel sorry for. And now…I am that lady. Of course, now I’m about ten years older and I have more of these humbling moments than I ever thought possible. So I just have to laugh. Yes, I confess I feel pretty embarrassed in the moment, but after I take a step back I’m usually able to take a minute to laugh at myself. I mean honestly, it is funny. Even if I am laughing at my own expense.
Go On and Laugh
Have you ever had such an experience? I’d love for you to share. You are in great company and it would make me feel SO much better knowing I’m not the only one. If you are not quite ready to share your one eye wide open moment then please just take a moment to laugh at yourself. Life is, after all, full of plenty of weighty experiences so when those light-hearted moments come along I think it’s so important to laugh. Of course, if you aren’t ready to laugh at yourself, then I give you full permission to laugh at me. Go on, friend, enjoy a good laugh. Happy Monday!
