Smells Like Teen Spirit, by Martha Thomases – Brilliant Disguise | @MDWorld

March 7, 2015 Victor El-Khouri 0 Comments

So this happened.  I was all set to write about it, had my research done, but then, I just couldn’t.  It’s too bleak.  As my mother might say, Netanyahu is bad for the Jews.

And then, I saw this.  It’s a story about how spray deodorants are becoming more popular, especially among the fashion crowd, who smuggle them in from Europe.  The smuggling is necessary because, back when we cared about the environment, the federal standards about aerosol sprays reduced how many were available in the American market.

Now, I’m not really passionate on the subject of deodorant.  I use it, at least on those days when I’m going to be in the company of other people.  I prefer anti-perspirants, but that’s just a preference, not a lifestyle statement.

And then I read this quote from Julia DiNardo, a fashion blogger, about aerosol spray deodorants:  “I really liked the application of it,” she said. “It was similar to a perfume. It heightened the experience of putting something in your armpit and made it more glamorous.”

I think it’s lovely that Ms. DiNardo enjoys her deodorant.  Myself, I’ve never really thought that the experience of applying deodorant needed to be amped up.

David Bowie once said, “You can’t get enough, but enough ain’t the test.” And I’m certainly in favor of finding more and more pleasures in life.

But …

Everything doesn’t need to be the most extreme.  In fact, by definition, everything can’t be the most extreme.  We need a variety of ups and downs to have any basis of comparison as to what constitutes extreme.  For example, I like bacon, and I like cheese.  But I don’t need bacon and cheese on absolutely everything I eat.

According to a study, 41 percent of Americans eat a slice of pizza every day.  Pizza is relatively cheap and easy to find.  I love pizza.  Just not every day.

There was a time in my life (and I’m not proud of it) when I ate a bag of CheezDoodles at lunch every day.  I really really really liked CheezDoodles, and since I was an adult with my own money, I could buy whatever I wanted.  And I wanted CheezDoodles.

Except eventually, I stopped noticing that I was eating them.  It was such a habit from one day to the next that the only way I could tell if I’d eaten them already was to look at my fingers and see if they were orange.  And if I couldn’t remember if I had eaten them, then it didn’t make any difference if I did or not.

So I stopped.

I don’t mean to slam CheezDoodles.  I fully expect to eat some again, should the craving arise.  However, in the meantime, when I want a crunchy, salty, cheesy snack, I get these.  I’m not saying they are health food, but they are made from wheat, water, garlic, oil, cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper, not chemicals.

I have to pay attention to enjoy them.

Look, our economy really sucks, and a lot of people have no reason to think their lives are going to get appreciably better in the near future.  Advertisers make their money convincing people that they need more and better now now now, damn the consequences.  They don’t make any money if we can find joy in what we have.

Every day, no matter how gray (and snowy), no matter how bad my mood, I aspire to find something that gives me joy, that gives me pleasure.  It may be reading a book.  It may be knitting.  It may be putting down the book or the knitting to pet the cat.  It may be a walk outside in my snow boots, kicking up some snow like confetti.

It may be a nice piece of fruit.

Being older gives me an advantage here.  I’ve had a lot of experiences, and I know how cause and effect work.  If I want to bump things up a level, maybe by paying for an upgrade on a flight or eating a cookie, I do it with the awareness of how such decisions affect my wallet and my waistline.

But I had to wade through a whole mountain of CheezDoodles to get here.

Martha Thomases, Media Goddess, usually has to explain around now that she really does enjoy kale and tofu.