Glorious Mistakes

Sometimes revelations come from unexpected places and sometimes they come from obvious ones. My mother is a font of knowledge. You become smarter just by being in the same room as her. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised that she hit me with a nugget of wisdom, but there I was, in the car, riding in the passenger’s seat and putting on my makeup as she spilled out something that changed my feelings regarding my parkinsonian tremor and the application of cosmetics.

 

I have been doing the inner corner eyeshadow look since the 90’s began and my tremors developed. It was purely by accident. I kept doing it because I liked the look and it began to trend. Back to the car, as I shakily dabbed some lime eyeshadow on the inner corners of my eyes, my mom told me that she developed the look in a similar way but always thought of it as a mistake.

 

I thought to myself, how many times have individuals with movement disorders made glorious discoveries with their cosmetics simply because they have a tremor only to brush it off as a mistake? Wipe it off! Cover it with concealer!

 

No! Take a second look at your mistake before you wash away its existence. Maybe that thick mascara shapes your eyes. Maybe that slip of eyeliner can be turned into a hip, graphic look! Your disability does not make you ‘less than.’ If you’re like my mother and me, you’re a trendsetter. A boss babe and proud of it.