Sacred Pampering Principles: Introduction

[Iyabo]

Introuduction: Get Ready, Get Set

This chapter talks about the women around you that were your first examples of pampering. For the author, the first one is her Mama. Her mama has a regime of a trip tp the beauty salon every three weeks to allow herself to be serviced. Then there is Mama's "bath-bubbles", that were hands-off to the author and her sister. She further talks about Mama's "soak" and how you knew better than to interrupt her during that time! Her Mama also was a gardener and this is also a part of pampering ritual. Then she goes on to talk about her Aunt Priscilla, who has the classic "Lena Horne" type beauty. She talks about her aunt's room being a personal sanctuary, not just a functional bedroom. Then she goes on to talk about the slow, gentle, loving way her aunt paint's her toenails. When she asks her aunt about this method of toenail painting, her aunt responds "it's important for a woman to take good care of her body, it's the only one she's got."

I was thinking to myself, WOW. The question is posed, who in your life provided you with some of your first examples of pampering? My mother is my first example as well. I grew up living in a trailer in a small country town. I can blessingly say that I never went hungry a night. So I will say we had just enough. While growing up, both of my parents were factory workers. My dad would work 12 hour shifts, my mom 8 hour shifts and then come home to be with us. My mother never lived without at least one bottle of Avon bubble bath. The kids did not share a bathroom with Ma and Daddy, so I never remember too many times witnessing her taking her bubble baths. But it was understood that she did. To this day, my mother's bubble bath collection has increased. It now also includes, scented lotions and powders. Another example would have to be my Aunt Marion. My "Auntie" is the eldest girl on my father's side. She was the one that had to help raise her siblings and take care of house while my grandmother worked all day. As a child, I could only understand that Auntie had moved away from the family to Maryland where she lived a "rich" life. She worked in the White House, lived in a two story house, in a "cul-du-sac". I spent a few summers in Prince George County with my Auntie. This to me was like a summer vacation because her refrigerator was always full (my uncle is the best cook in the family), she had a huge basement with a floor we could rollerskate on, and my cousin and I were allowed to walk to the nearby grocery store by ourselves. My Auntie kept an immaculate house, she even had people to come in and clean for her every 2 weeks! This was totally unheard of in my little world. Above all of that, what appealed to me the most was (and still is) how beautiful my Auntie maintained herself. She always kept her haircut neat, her nails always flawless, and she always smelled fabulous. My last example would have to be my grandmother on Sundays. My sweet, short grandmother "Mama Jet" would transform from a house dress wearing turban weekday wearer, to this miniature goddess! Only on "church day" would she put on one of her wigs, clip on sparkling "earbobs", perfumed down with the hint of Vaseline Intensive Care lotion, sassy hats and a slamming dress with matching purse and shoes! I would grin at her at church and whisper to her "go on granny!!"

Back to the book, it goes on to state that pampering is simultaneously the means and the end, the process and the outcome, the destination and the journey. Pampering is not about adding more things to the "to do" list, it is about makign a shift to integrating experiences and making more choices tha bring you joy, peace, and pleasure. Two sentences I underlined in this chapter say:
pampering is orienting your life around what brings you joy
pampering is not self-serving, it's conscious self-service