The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I've just discovered that it was 7 years ago TODAY that Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows was released.  I went to the WalMart in Urbana because I heard that it would be far less crowded than the local booksellers and by that time, I wasn't interested in dressing up - I just wanted to read it.  I picked up my copy, went home, locked the doors, turned my phone off and read all night.  I finished the book sometime after noon. 

Prior to this, I would reread the Harry Potter series habitually.  Probably a couple of times a year, if not more.  After this, I put the books down for nearly 7 years.  4-6 weeks ago I picked them up again.

The magic never died, I just walked away for a while.  When I picked the series up again, it was incredible.  I keep having these OMG moments, where I suddenly understand why Snape was SO mean to Neville.  And I keep having these wonderful moments where I see something in a new light.  For example, I'm curious if "sunshine, daisies; butter, mellow; turn this stupid fat rat yellow," is actually a made-up spell OR is it a legit spell but just didn't work because Scabbers wasn't actually a rat? 

I'm picking up on things I never saw before.  Neville's abilities improve immensely in the latter books.  In Order of the Phoenix, Neville's wand is broken and he admits to Harry that it was his fathers.  Perhaps Neville wasn't very good at spells because the wand belonged to his father and not to him.  The wand picks the wizard after all, and Neville's wand didn't choose him. 

FURTHERMORE (and please don't call blasphemy on this because I'm just merely curious) was Dumbledore the "greatest wizard of all time" because his wand was in fact, the elder wand - the most powerful wand of all time?  Or was his natural ability simply enhanced even further by this great wand. 

I'm not going to finish the books before we get to Universal on Thursday, like I was originally hoping.  But we only have one movie left to go and I think we can knock that out tonight and tomorrow night.  I'll definitely finish the series though.  I absolutely cannot believe I only read the last book ONE TIME.  What is wrong with me?  I can feel the anticipation growing again, but this time I can just dive right in.  I simultaneously can't wait to devour the book and want to take my time with it, savor every word.

Simplify

I saw a Bruce Lee quote this morning and it struck a chord with me. 

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential." 

 

This is more or less what I've been attempting to do for a while now.   Decrease the debt (paid off the car loan), decrease the clutter (clean out the closet and get rid of old clothes), decrease the worry (stop working towards a "goal weight" and start working towards "feeling healthy.")

I came across this image on Pinterest.  I was shocked when I read it and realized...IT'S ALL MAKE UP.  I thought this was somebody's morning routine: wake up, shower, blow dry, etc.  It is not.  This is a single day's make up routine.  And if I had to guess, I'd say it's a normal day.  Not a wedding, photo shoot, or party. 

I am still quite astonished that women spend so much time putting on massive amounts of make up to "highlight their features" or "hide blemishes."  I've never been a heavy make up wearer, even on my wedding day I think my make up took 20 minutes.  And that felt like an eternity!  

About 6 weeks ago, I quit wearing make up altogether.  I didn't wear much to begin with, but I wondered if my skin would clear up if I stopped covering it up.  I wish I could say that was the outcome, but sadly it was not.  I still break out, but that's completely normal.  I have yet to meet a person my age who can say, "Oh I never break out.  Ever."  And the acne I get does seem to clear up faster than when I was covering it up with foundation or powder, so that's something.

What I did find however, was that my morning routine became significantly shorter.  I stopped obsessing over the puffy eyelids, weird lines, or acne.  Because everybody experiences those things and I am my own worst critic.  Nobody else even notices 90% of the things you see on your own face.  As a matter of fact, I'm wearing brand new glasses today!  They feel incredibly obvious to me, having worn contacts pretty regularly since I was 12.   It's mid afternoon and 3 people have noticed them. 

Along with quitting make up, I have also been on a quest since January to stop abusing my hair.  I went from washing it every day, to washing it every 2-3 days.  It feels generally healthier and more natural now, which is pretty cool.  Not to mention when your hair gets long, it takes FOREVER.  So that's another extra 15 minutes I get every other day.  I've also been attempting to blow dry it less, less heat damage means healthier right?  Right.  I still curl it most days, but I do it in large chunks and fairly quickly.  Just enough to give it a bit of shape.  

My point here is that the upside to being more natural and simple in my "beauty regime" is twofold.  One benefit is I save myself about 2 hours a week on average.  That's two extra hours to read a book or watch Netflix, my favorite relaxation activities.  The other benefit is realizing that most other people are so wrapped up in their own lives, they're unlikely to notice the little things about yours.  Your work colleagues probably didn't notice that your eyes are a little puffy today.  If they did notice that little zit on your chin, I sincerely doubt that they care very much about it.