Good sabbath to you, powder pigeons!!
PeaceBang is on vaction in sunny, beautiful, HUMID Florida and living in real time the regional differences in climate and style we discuss so often on this blog. One of our dear readers from the South has sent a bunch of photos of herself dressed for various aspects of her ministerial day, and we’ll post those soon and discuss.
For now, however, I just want to ask why my sunburned arm ACHES so much? I burned only one arm yesterday, because I’m talented that way, and I don’t understand why the skin should feel mildly warm but the muscle itself seem to be bellowing in pain. Dehydration? Damaged nerve endings? Please explain, since Google yields no results.
I am wearing a $10 Old Navy sundress and cotton cardigan to church. The same thing I wore to drive here, the same thing I wore to dinner last night. With Continental Airlines charging $25 per bag, Yours Truly was not ABOUT to pack her vestments and wedding outfit in a separate suitcase so she could have cute clothes to wear on her free days.
Someone wrote recently and said that last year, her Lenten discipline was to clean out her closet. She gave away a huge amount of clothing. I wonder if packing one suitcase — say the one suitcase you might, if you were lucky, be able to pack before clearing out before a natural disaster or a military coup or an invasion — and living out of its contents for forty days would be a powerful Lenten discipline that might give us a sense of enhanced compassion for the refugee, the outcast, the stranger.
That’s actually a genius idea! I am an inveterate over-packer, and it’s something that really bugs me. This would be a wonderful Lenten discipline.
What would be the parameters of that challenge? Clothes/makeup/accessories? Can my vestments be out of the suitcase or part of the deal? Perhaps a few of us can do this and explore our experiences….
I went on a hiking trip in Italy a number of years ago, and was in awe of one of our group who had one quite small bag with all her stuff in it. We thought we traveled light, but she was in a class all herself. She seemed to travel light in spirit as well…I think you’re on to something!
I simplified what is in my closet pretty drastically over the past year, but I still think there is more than most people in the world have to wear. I may try that discipline, excluding vestments and meds.
O Peacebang, remember thou art in Florida in WINTER…imagine the trials of dressing in summer!
Forget anything polyester, which positively adheres to the skin in the southern humid clime.
Another topic…I have a friend (art historian and univ. prof.) who regularly spends 10 days in Italy with 2 shirts, 1 sweater, 2 khaki pants and a raincoat. This fits in a nylon bag she slings carefreely into the overhead bin. Sigh. I do so admire her minimalist, simple approach to life.
With that thought, have you seen http://www.theuniformproject.com/ ?
Re: Sunburn… The deal with sun burn is that it keeps burning for hours after you are out of the sun. It only gets redder… Go to the CVS or Walgreens and talk to the pharmacist to get the good stuff. And invest in Sun screen. Skin Cancer is a fashion faux pas.
I know you want to get all brown here in Florida, But no, behave now and brown slooowly.. (or skip it, there is no safe level of tanning) Sun burns down here can get serious (send you to the er serious) . I like bull frog for my sun screen. AND every you time you drive in the car with the tinted windows … You are still getting sun. So sun screen before you go out.
The burn will keep burning (even under clothes) unless you get some good spf on there! Aloe is very soothing. The burned parts will likely peel no matter what you do so you might as well be comfortable. I wish I had time to see you.. I’m moving this week so… I can’t visit you from Fort Lauderdale. Darn it!
Traveling light is the best thing. I hate the feeling of all kinds of bags and stuff that doesn’t get used even though you’re lugging it around. I spent 17 days in Spain and Italy with one pair of shoes, and during dinner one night, a male hostel mate remarked on how “women always pack too many shoes.” I said, “I only brought one pair of shoes with me.” He paused, then said, “Well. I guess that’s pretty good, for a girl.” WHAAT?!