These are my confessions, Part 1

We all have our quirks. It's what makes you who you are and me who I am. Life would be boring if we all had cookie cutter personalities and were completely "normal". Though others' idiosyncracies tend to ride on us at times and we wish that everyone was as normal as our super-normal selves, we do enjoy the spice that differences bring to life. When first coming upon the power of the social world as a child, I was extremely afraid of being/doing anything that wasn't "socially acceptable." As an adult, I have learned more to recognize the importance of differences. Thus, I shall embark on embracing my own weirdness.

There are a few things that I possibly own too much/many of, i.e. hoodies, basketball/soccer shorts, books I haven't read, hair products, and chapstick. [Sidenote: I understand that the usage of the name Chapstick is a genericized trademark but I am using it openly as my word for "lip balm." Please don't sue me.]

At one point in college I realized that I owned enough chapstick that I kept one in various locations as to never be without. There was one for each purse, one in my bookbag, one in my church bag, one that stayed in my bedroom, one random one that I carried in my pocket, and probably a few more as backups. For some reason that I do not entirely recall, I began lining up my chapsticks on my dresser periodically throughout the week to make sure that I hadn't lost any of my chapsticks. I hate losing them so I would take them out to make sure they were still in their place, then upon ensuring all were present and accounted for, would return them to their designated stations. This practice affectionally become termed the "chapstick roll-call" by my roommates.

In hindsight, I really don't follow the logic behind this practice. Nevertheless, the objective of the practice is still relevant today. I still refuse to buy one thing of chapstick and use it up before I buy another one. I will typically buy one at the impulse isle at the grocery story without necessarily needing a new one. I currently have chapstick in various purses, in my desk at work, in my church bag, toiletry/travel bag, on my night stand, and all other un-designated sticks are on my dresser. I have learned the gross lesson of never storing one in your car during the summer. It will never be the same.

The addiction to chapstick began in middle school thanks to my best friend Erica. She converted me to Chapstick® Medicated Lip Balm. Over the years, the chapstick of choice has varied. For the last couple of years I have settled on Burt's Bees Lip Balm and been very happy. I have tried most chapstick on the market at some point and Burt's has proven to be the best for me. If you would like further testimonials other than myself on this product, there are a handful of personal test subjects that may be willing to provide an additional reference as to my success with Burt's.