or: Not everything you’re told as a teenager is true

This has been a week where I’ve been thankful that I’m required to wear a face mask every time I set foot in public.

No, not because I have any contagious disease.

Rather, because I have resembled the Wicked Witch of the West except my skin isn’t green, I don’t fly on broomsticks, I have no troop of flying monkeys (is that the correct collective noun? This is definitely not one we covered in school), I have no magic powers or knowledge that I’m aware of (literature tends to suggest that I would have found out about any of these at puberty so I’m guessing it’s a little late now), I don’t have a pointy hat, and I don’t wear black.

The appearance is actually more striking and obvious than any of these things.

I have had a pimple slowly growing on my nose that reminds me of the big wart that particular witch had in pretty much the same location. Shame she didn’t have a face mask to hide hers though perhaps she was proud or didn’t really mind it so much.

Me on the other hand, I wasn’t so proud or ready to expose this monstrosity to the unsuspecting public.

This pimple has been gradually expanding in size and darkening itself to a dull red before reaching its peak a couple of days ago and starting to disappear back to where it came from. Over this time, I haven’t scared any of the public by this massive protrusion due to it being normal to wear a face mask.

It had me thinking about my teenage years. I had the sweat pimples across my forehead for most of this time. I was self-conscious and had no fringe to hide them (since it was thought that would make them worse) and use to joke that I had a whole novel in braille across my head. Always better to get in a self-depreciating joke before others can. Not sure if this is just in Australia or if other cultures do this too. Anyway, I had a few of the bigger, uglier pimples over the years too though nothing like the one I’ve just had on my nose.

I was repeatedly told not to worry, once I’m not a teenager anymore, there would be no more pimples.

To any teenager reading this, if you are being told the same thing, this is not true.

Apparently we can get them for our entire lives.

No-one ever said life was fair.

Except when you can hide them with a face mask and no-one needs to ever know.

Unless you share it on your blog.

 

Thanks to Bruce Hornsby & the Range for this tune. His music is very diverse!