Emotional Zits

WARNING! This is gross and may cause stomach upset. Proceed with caution.

When I was a teenager, my youthful skin was covered in blemishes (zits). Some were mature, others were ripening just beneath the surface, and then there were those I called 'blind' pimples.

The latter often took a while to be discovered. They weren't 'obvious', just a slight pinkish tinge to the skin. They may have felt swollen to touch, but were generally invisible. I probably would have never noticed them if it hadn't been for the PAIN. They were by far, the worst.

I would spend hours in front of the mirror 'dealing with' my pimples. It provided me with enormous relief once the pressure was released. The blind ones were intriguing, intensely painful and required the most patience for they weren't going anywhere till they were 'ready'.

Not wanting to cause you to puke all over your computer, let's just say that blind pimples were always met with several confrontations over a few days - the first attempts where just warm ups for a huge grand finale.

My Mum (we say mum not mom) would berate me for 'ruining my skin' but to me, the post extraction redness was worth the effort. While I might have looked worse off immediately after squeezing, I felt so much better - at least until the next batch were ripe for the picking.

Then one day, in my early 20's, they were all gone. Forever. I might get the odd zit here and there at certain times of the month but for the most part, I had clear skin. Even to this day people comment at how smooth and lovely my skin is (sounds like I'm doing an infomercial doesn't it?).

Project Grace 2010 is turning out to be a lot like bursting emotional zits. Some have been easy 'pops' - ah, relief, and it all goes away. Others have been like the dreaded blind pimple. First you discover it, you feel it growing underneath the surface. It throbs and it hurts but you can't stop fondling till it develops a head. Then you become determined to eliminate its contents, and continue with focused intention until BANG! It finally explodes, thus leaving you with an enormous sense of release (literally and metaphorically).

It can go two ways after that; 1. Vanish into nothingness, or 2. Swell into the biggest dermatological monster you have ever seen. You need to let it rest a while before launching the final attack.

Well my friends, it turns out that '99% equals FAIL' was not only a Top 10 hit in the last 30 years, but is also a classification '2.' blind pimple. As my posts indicate, I've been fiddling with it for a few days and instead of disappearing, it is swelling. I can feel the pressure of an enormous eruption brewing under the surface. I can feel that it's only a matter of time before the grand finale.

If you've read this far, here's a second warning: Next time you check out Project Grace 2010, make sure you're wearing a raincoat.

Until tomorrow, may you whittle away at your emotional zits (if you can stomach it) and you too can have clear skin.

Grace xx