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#3 The Adventure to great soap & how to find it :  Start Clearing a path 

Writer's picture: Jenifer BrownJenifer Brown

Updated: Jan 29, 2020

As I mentioned in couple stories entry #2, It's definitely a SMALL glimpse into my childhood life. As I became a teenager, I really began to take notice of the things & people around me that I didn't want to carry into my own future. I was quickly picking up that life choices have great positive and negetive outcomes. Everyone has times in their life when they look back and say "Yeah, I should have done that differently". I can honestly say, that there's only a small few times I've uttered those words.

People in my family have told me that I am a mix of 3 people. My Mother, My Grandmother and my Dad. "You're like your Dad, you think alot. You pay attention". "You're like your Grandmother, so very sweet, with a mischievous side to you". " You're like your Mother, you have an old soul". All of those statements are real. Two out of the 3 came from family members.

I like to think I am a perfectly blended mix of those who raised me, inspired me & gave me lessons about life you can't get from a book.

I spent a great deal of time with my Grandparents. My Father was a single Dad, often working long hours or out of town working when I was young. As I grew older, my want for spending time with my Grandparents never changed. My Grandmothers always tried their best to keep me in saddle shoes, and cute frilly things. I was having none of that ! "Always be yourself " They would tell me. In the same instance one of them would be telling the stylist to give me a Dorothy Hammill haircut. They always hissed disapproval at my defiance when I would tell the stylist to give me a cut that I could wash, brush and be done with. "It will be cute" My Grandmother would say. I would always reply " I dont want to be cute, I want to be me!" Try as I may, I always ended with the Haircut Grandma was paying for. Those photos are buried somewhere, thank God.

In the Teen years, The same Grandmother who got me the famous haircuts often tried to get me interested in dresses, Makeup and things that girls like. I really gave Grandma a rough time about being more refined. I did all the necessary hygiene things, But beyond that, Forget it. No eyebrow pencils, Lip liners, Pantyhose and dresses for me. I remember telling her one time "I dont want to look cute for the boys, I dont care what they like. I want to be me !" I would utter the phrase "I want to be me" a thousand more times before her death. I dont think until I was around 20 years old, she let me be how I wanted to be. She knew it wasn't a battle she was going to win, and the attitude changed to " Do whatever makes you happy......."

Looking back (Insert the phrase "I should have handled that differently ") I realized, yes, Grandma wanted me to be a bit more delicate, but HOLY COW! She raised 5 sons, of course she wanted to dress me up and make me cute. She never had a chance to do that with a daughter ! Well, they say 20/20 in hindsight, and I guess that's true. I could have tried to meet her halfway. Until My First Highschool Dance, she got me in blue Jean's, Rock Tshirts, glittery lip gloss,beat up Converse Sneakers.

I began to build me......

My Grandmother was beautiful inside & out. She definitely molded me to who I would become as an adult.


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