Last night, I shared a post on Insta which struck a chord with many friends here. I’ve had so much lovely feedback about it, both on and offline.
I’ll paste the caption below, in case you’re off socials for Lent/totally/it’s just easier …
One of those “on-ramps” of motherhood I’ve written and talked to so many friends about, with uni/college holiday homecomings (before the setting off again - the “off-ramps”. Each time feels like a re-launch of sorts).
For this mama, the former are best celebrated in London with coffee stops, shopping and a gelato bar in Covent Garden, where you might spend approximately 16 minutes too long choosing three scoops (🤷♀️).
And, sometimes, slap-bang in the midst of the toughest, most heartbreaking stages of being a daughter yourself, stopping to take a selfie in a must-visit make-up store is the most perfect thing EVER. 💋❤️
In the words of my friend Sally (who always knows how to pack a powerful message into sentence or two) “Being able to hold both of these life events with love and hopefully some joy is a blessing”.
There was, most definitely, joy.
My girl got a lip gloss.
Life changing? No.
Life giving? Absolutely.
A couple of weeks back, I found myself in Boots on Piccadilly with my friend, Natalie, visiting from California. She was on day two in London, and had the blisters to prove it. Insisting we get her some proper blister plasters—the kind with the gel cushion for the heels—we dived into the store during a downpour.
Somewhere between the bath and body care and pharmacy, we got distracted by the make-up counters.
You have to know that, along with the big stuff—faith, family and the kind of heartache that comes with caring for ageing parents you’ve never felt until it you do—we also talk a lot about skin care, beauty and make-up.
I’d admired Natalie’s pink lip gloss over coffee at Bar Italia on Frith Street, at one of the tables outside, opposite landmark jazz club, Ronnie Scott’s (I pointed it out, but think she might’ve have been too cold to register. She’s used to Californian temps, and posts the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets on her Instagram stories).
The lip colour was a UK pharmacy brand, so OF COURSE I made a beeline for it when we were in Boots.
I’ve been wearing it ever since. Who knew what a difference a swipe of 200/ I’ll Call You would make before heading out to the nursing home to hold my mother close, stroke her cheek and feed her chopped up sausages and mash, if it’s lunchtime?
Writing this, I realised that the same thing happened earlier this week, when I met up with a girlfriend I haven’t seen for too long. Over soup of the day and Americanos, we talked family, life, the universe and everything.
And then we wandered into Boots (again!), where she ended up perching on a stool, getting an impromptu make-up demo at the Chanel counter.
My friend left glowing—and it wasn’t just the light-reflecting pigments in the new base.
Yesterday, Summer Joy Gross, of The Presence Project, shared this abridged quote, by Kitty Wilder (her reel is joyfully mesmerising, too).
Cultivating joy is serious business.
Joy builds our reserves, so present potential trauma loses its power.
—Kitty Wilder
You have to know that, along with the big stuff—faith, family and the kind of heartache that comes with caring for ageing parents you’ve never felt until it you do
Yes! So resonated with me!
Oh, Jenni, I loved this post- I was able to reminisce about our sweet day together, relate to off and on ramps, caring for aging parents, and understand the life giving power of lipstick! There have been many times when I feel a jumbled mess but the swipe of a bold color on my lips makes me feel more put together ❤️ Such a sweet post. Love you!