Self-sufficiency Makes Life Better

Photo: Shutterstock.com

If you think you can do it, or you think you can’t do it, You are right.–  Henry Ford

The last few years have been like no other. First, in 2020 the pandemic shut down the world, and then in 2022 I became a full-time caregiver of my senior mom. What's more, I couldn't have predicted I would become a good amateur haircutter! Starting with cutting my own hair!! When everything closed in March 2020, I remember thinking, "Thank God Penny, my hairstylist, cut my hair last week. What would I have done otherwise!?!" Little did anyone know how long the shutdown would last, and I would eventually find out! Surprise!! :0

I learned being unafraid to literally take matters into my own hands makes life better. I felt and looked better trimmed than as a hippy-dippy, scraggly-haired woman.

Unlike many Manhattanites, I'm in the habit of cooking dinner at home instead of mostly eating out or ordering in, and knowing how to cook and bake was also a useful skill to have during the pandemic. In fact, when my careless hookah-smoking upstairs neighbor set her apartment on fire forcing everyone below her floor into hotels for 2 months during the renovations of our waterlogged apartments in 2019, it wasn't fun eating every meal out. Unlike when a person is on a business trip, few of us can afford room service 3 times a day. ($30 for eggs, toast and coffee!) Finding nutritious food by wandering around the blocks of Madison Avenue became horribly tedious!

I also keep my home organized, clutter-free, and easy to clean so I don't have to hire other people to help manage or clean it.

Another skill I've always found easy to do myself is grooming my own nails. I've enjoyed a few manicures and pedicures to understand their appeal, but I find it more convenient to do it myself at home while listening to music or watching the news or a television show. For years, I cut and polished my nails twice a week, until I began to appreciate a natural, clean, trimmed nail look and pondered why artificially painted nails are considered more glamorous or sophisticated? 

 

Not exactly my old signature colors of nail enamel, but close enough.

In my 20s and early 30s, my signature nail color was Relvon's All That Jazz, a sparkly cardinal red; and later on, it became Nicka K's Sea Shell, an iridescent soft white. Now I think healthy, well-groomed, natural nails rock, and there's no real need to polish them. Who knows if I'll change my mind again, however not painting my nails is a huge time saver! {For my male readers to know, it requires a base coat (to protect your nails), 2 coats of color, and a top coat (to protect the polish). The effort every week is nuts, no?}

Without Gumby arms to trim the back of my head, I no longer cut my own hair. Oh, snipping the back was slow and tedious, but I still trim my mom's hair and groom her nails. I wouldn't have thought I could do this for another person before necessity became the mother of invention and convenience! Doing things yourself sometimes also keeps life simple (I don't have to make appointments or take her elsewhere). Simple is better because it's less rushing, schlepping, and directing others in exchange for more hours of relaxing. 

Despite the top blog image, I wouldn't consider going off the grid or buying a farm. I love city life! City Girl Extraordinaire suits me.

I highly recommend: Be as self-sufficient as possible ... but as is sensible. Try to develop a few new life skills just to see what you can do for yourself. Strive to save time and money by keeping life simple and making it better. Remember no matter what happens in the rest of the world, if it shuts down, or businesses leave the neighborhood, you can always depend on yourself! As the song goes, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.

The best lightning rod for your protection is your own spine. –  Ralph Waldo Emerson

You may also enjoy:

Real Italian Cooking

10 Women I'd Like To Meet For Tea

Sidney Poitier: Actor, Author ... And More

Remembering Patsy Cline (9/8/32 - 3/5/63)