Ever since I was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007,
my doctors emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and
reducing stress. The positive attitude—I’ve got that in spades! The stress
reduction—not so much—because there are so many things on my “to do” list, it’s
hard to slow down. Even though that list includes mostly fun things, they keep
me going at a pretty fast clip.
I am making some progress, however, since discovering the
amazing benefits of a relaxing massage (see the post: “Spa Daze”),
but I needed more options for slowing the pace, indulging my senses, and
soothing the soul. And that’s when I turned to my sister, Charlotte Dillard, a
bath and body aficionado extraordinaire!
She discovered many years ago, as a single mother of two
young boys, a simple and inexpensive way to save her sanity—soak in a bubble
bath every night for a minimum of one hour. No matter what else was going on in
her life at the time, she claimed her right to “alone time” each evening. We
should all be so wise!
And that’s why I called on her expertise to add this routine
to my agenda, as well, starting with a trip to the Bath and Body Works store in
Baybrook Mall to gather all the products I might need.
Here I am at left, with my shopping bags filled with goodies.
I decided to go with the relaxing scent of lavender, and
couldn’t stop with just the bubble bath, I added the body lotion and threw in a
few scented candles for good measure.
We also checked out the loofas, back scrubbers, bath
pillows, serene music on CD’s, and decadent chocolate candies, in addition to
fluffy towels and robes, just to make sure we had all the senses covered. I was
ready for “bath time” heaven!
On the way home, we stopped off at the Olive Garden
Restaurant to celebrate our success, and I started indulging my senses a bit
early, with a yummy watermelon margarita. I just couldn’t resist!
And here is the end result of our shopping excursion—my
wonderfully soothing, lavender bubble bath with all the trimmings. Ahhh!!
Thank you, Charlotte, for a fun day of shopping and sharing
your secrets for soaking away stress!
