Not long ago I made a discovery. One that many of you ladies out there already have mastered but one that in my altered state of early morning fog with too little coffee surging through my veins had to be re-learned.
Shaving is much more effective and efficient if you take the little plastic protector off of the razor in advance. Yep—that was me. Wondering why the razor was not cutting through the forest on my legs. Upon closer inspection I discovered that that pesky little plastic guard was still in place. Things went much smoother after that.
I know that there is at least one lesson in that little experience and I am trying to discern what it is.
Am I like a razor with the plastic guard on? Do I try to shield myself from the world?
Do I try to hide my sharp edges from others in case they do not like what they see?
Do I hide who I really am?
Am I not willing to take a stand for things I believe in because they might seem too sharp and offensive to others?
Do I worry about being too blunt with others?
Maybe a little bit of all of these.
Life can be so much more rewarding if we allow ourselves to be who we are meant to be. Imperfections and all. That means taking away the “protector” and allowing ourselves to be real and authentic.
Is it risky? Yes. A little bit.
Is it worth it?
Maybe I need to take that protector off a little more often and experience life full on. No buffer.
Letting my guard down.
Bring it on.
It's Just Life 
Good analogy Beth Ann.
Thank you, Christine! Hope all is well with you!
I think we all keep the little plastic on.. sometimes…
It feels safe, doesn’t it—-especially after we have been hurt.
I need a filter or little plastic guard.. sometimes.. or it would not be pretty.. 🙂
Haha!!! Yea, I hear ya on that one. Filters are sometimes good, too.
Awww…. the little mishaps that point out the big lessons! Great job with the strong analogy, Beth Ann. I’m so glad that I fixed the technical glitch that kept me from receiving your email notification, whatever it was. Your post was sitting in my inbox this a.m. 🙂
Yippee! Thanks for being persistent!!!
Nice post. The key is knowing where it is: in an environment where it’s needed its good to know it can be snapped back on. I am reminded of a time when I reached into my travel kit, a razor was in there without the cover and it sliced open my fingers. Had I been more vigilant my fingers would have been safe to dig in the bag.
Very good point!!! Very good point!! I am surprised that was not me—I am a bit accident prone to put it mildly!
Love this! What a great analogy! Off to share.
Thanks so much!!! I appreciate it!
File this one away in your “devotionals that will be published someday (soon).” You and I need to chat about that topic sometime (soon).
Excellent analogy and excellent insights. Your mind amazes me, how it works sometimes. Imagine if you’d had your coffee…
Thanks, Audrey! My mind amazes myself—you should hear some of my dreams….:-)
Okay, Beth Ann I adore this post–not only because I have been known to do the same, but because I love the metaphor. Really fun. Gotta share this one!
Hugs from Ecuador,
Kathy
Thanks for sharing on FB Kathy. Made me laugh AND think – that’s a great combination.
Yay!!! Thanks for the sweet comment and for following me!!!! 🙂
Thanks so much, Kathy! You are my own personal cheerleader today!
I found you thanks to Kathy. Glad I did. I pray for the courage to take my plastic shield off. Sometimes I even manage to do it. Fantastic post.
Thank you so very much!!! I am thrilled to meet you!!!!! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
🙂 You’re welcome!
Ha, my wife had the same problem, only a vegetable peeler was the culprit.. “This thing stinks, it doesn’t peel anything, I’m going back to the paring knife!” Having seen other people use these comfortable devices, I checked it out, and yup, the plastic protector was still on the blades.. lol..
Did she really??? Her name must be Beth! Oh wait–it is!!! I still use a paring knife—-never have liked veggie peelers!!!
She still uses the paring knife too, I’ll use the peeler when I have to peel anything, it just seems faster and less wasteful to me..
I can never get used to a peeler. I have tried them all!!!
Can we be more effective if we take off the protective shield? Probably–and we’re able to get closer and feel more while we’re at it. Nice post!
Thanks so much for the comment and bloggy love!!! I appreciate it a lot!!!!
I was afraid you had really cut yourself with the razor. Good thing I read on.
You know me so well! For once this wasn’t the case.
I was just expecting a silly post (and it did make me smile), but then you followed up with a proper punch of a post. I have definitely done both parts of this – both the daft things in the early morning, and been overly protective of myself and others. I muchly approve!
Well thank you very much for the great comment!!! I muchly approve of having you stop by! Please come back anytime!!!
Okay– the razor thing is something I would totally do. And I would probably get all angry like “this is the dumbest razor ever, I’m going to write a letter to this company and/or blast them on social media!” …all when it was my bad.
That being said… Becoming more forward, blunt, and sticking up for yourself is probably always a good thing– as long as you maintain compassion and don’t become a sociopath about it 😉 No one likes a sociopath. Except for codependent people and screenwriters and no one likes those people either. Okay I’m a little codependent. Stopping now.
Hahaha. And that is why I am so glad we are row mates over at YeahWrite—because I need a few more codependent people in my life and you are refreshing!!!! Don’t’ stop!
Haha codependents, unite! (that sounds healthy……)
Such a crazy day that I just realized I hadn’t read your blog and commented today! Is it strange that my thought while reading it was that maybe it means, “Be yourself just as you are, natural and hairy!” LOL 🙂 (It is feeling like winter, you know!)
It is winter definitely. About 28 degrees this morning….brrrr.
Definitely have to agree this is a great analogy. When I’m around people I know will get me, I’m more likely to let my guard down and be my real self. When I was in a group of local female bloggers, many (most?) despised my real self: Snarky, blunt, tell it like it is. My confidence went bye bye. I removed myself from that environment and started searching for people who appreciated the real me, not a Stepford Wife version of me (trust me, that’s scary). Doing much better now, thankfully, and also having a lot more fun.
Great analogy! The plastic needs to come off!
P.S. BTW, I waxed for about 5 years. That was about 35 years ago. I have not had any regrowth on my legs since! Yep.
Wow—that is amazing! Perhaps I should check into that!!!! That is great benefit of waxing!!!
Another lesson learned! 😉
I have a lot of them!
LOL
Great lesson. it’s better if I leave the guard on the razor. man I am horrible at shaving. Nicks, cuts, and pain. I hate when water touches the cut and then shaving cream gets into it. thank goodness it’s winter!
My thoughts exactly about winter!!! Jeans and leggings are a good thing!
An interesting inward observation over a razor cover. Just go electric – wonder how that would affect your reflections?
I imagine it would dull them a lot! 🙂
I think you are intelligent and know when and how to use tact and discretion. We need more people like you.
Ah..thanks McGuffy Ann!!! Such kind words!!! I appreciate them a lot!!! Hope your day is fabulous!
An excellent analogy…….and also, thanks for reminding me that I am definitely overdue to shave my legs!
But I also wrote a recent post about standing up for what you believe, who you are. I am a big believer in being authentic.
I totally agree that being who you are meant to be, taking a stand and not backing down from it is very important. It just got me thinking, you know? Thanks for the comment!
Be yourself.
I try!
Safety shaver day is December 2. I will link to this post since it is cutting edge and razor sharp and darn good AND have you seen this http://oddlovescompany.com/2010/02/shave-the-underbrush-the-tree-looks-taller/
Hang on the video disappeared —I will repost.
\
Sorry it is GONE. Posted in 2010—So funny but maybe not to everyone
So what happened to it???? Hmmm. There is actually a safety shaver day? Good grief. You know all that stuff. You would get along well with my hubby who is the king of facts!!!
This was a really nice post! As I get older I become more genuine to who I am, and am less guarded when I speak. I hate drama, and am not afraid to tell someone the truth, even if it’s something they won’t want to hear. I stopped by from the SITS Saturday Sharefest! Have a great weekend! -Adrienn/This Uncomplicated Journey
Thanks for stopping by, Adrienn! I really appreciate it. I really appreciate it when there are a zillion links to choose from on SITS and mine was one you picked to read. Will head over to see what your Uncomplicated Journey is all about!!! Thanks again!
I think you should start waxing your legs, dear Beth Ann. After just 2 years of waxing about once a month and menopause, I have virtually hairless legs. I don’t have to worry about shaving at all – ever! No need to ponder about sharp edges either! Hahaha
I don’t have much leg hair actually–thank goodness. Waxing scares me…it took me until I was 50 to wax my eyebrows. 🙂
It is so much easier on your legs Beth Ann because your leg skin is nowhere near as sensitive as the skin of your face. What I always liked was that every time you waxed less came back so eventually it just stops growing there!
Great life lesson gleaned from an early morning overlook. Wonder what lesson I could come up with for those days I condition my hair before I wash it…
Haha!! I have been there, too. Or putting conditioner on as face wash! Just got the sequence out of order.