Most people go through their day without giving their everyday household products a second thought.
I know I did until a bright yellow package of Sunsweet prunes stopped me in my tracks, or shall I say, got things moving again.
Sunsweet Amaz!n Prunes: “It Feels Good to Feel Good.”
I’ve got to tell you, after caring for seniors for five years — I certainly know my way around a bag of prunes. I’ve learned a lot of valuable life lessons from my clients over the years. If you’re feeling stuck (in life or the bathroom), grab a handle full of prunes, and they will get things moving again.
Doesn’t it feel good to feel good (and regular)?
See’s Candy: “Quality without Compromise.”
Integrity and worth without settling — isn’t that what everyone wants?
I know I do.
I have a terrible habit of settling for less when I know I am made for more. And you may have done the same at some time in your life.
A slogan from a timeless candy company that makes you want to eat a box of their luscious assorted chocolates while you ponder what else in life you’ve been settling for.
AHA Sparkling Water: “Can I Get an AHA?”
I’ve been on a sparkling water kick lately; maybe it’s the triple-digit weather we’ve had in California recently, and maybe it’s because I thought I was doing my enamel a favor by cutting out acidic soda. (AHA! Carbonated drinks deteriorate your teeth’ enamel, not just soda.) Nevertheless, this slogan gives me hope; it reminds me that life, money, and love indubitably ebb and flow. And after that see-saw cycle, we usually figure out more about life than we knew before because hindsight is 20/20.
Can I get an AHA?!
Nike: “Just Do It.”
As much as I want to take sole credit for living my life by this motto, I have to give credit where credit is due: I first discovered this concept on Elyse Myer’s TikTok channel.
‘Someone asked me how I managed my nerves and I said, I don’t. I don’t. I just do it scared.’
As far as running shoes go, I’m a Brooks girl, but Nike takes the cake when it comes to slogans to live by. Just do it (fill in the blank with the perceived negative emotion you’re experiencing). Emotions aren’t reality; it’s about what you do when you’re feeling that feeling that counts.
Walmart: “Save money. Live better.”
Who doesn’t want to save a little money along the way and live a better life?
I know I do!
Walmart’s fruit and meat department is nothing I’d write home about, but when it comes to living better because I saved $100 on a camping stove and cooler for our trip — it’s blue and yellow for the win!
Dove: “Beauty is for Everyone.”
Hell yeah, it is.
How validating is it to know that beauty is indeed within the eye of the beholder? Dove sees you for the beautiful human you are, all the while making you smell like peonies and rose water.
Blue Buffalo: “Love them like family. Feed them like family.”
I’ve said it many times before, and I’ll type it (at least) once more: I don’t know where I’d be without my parents. They are imperfect humans, and I am forever grateful for everything they’ve done (and didn’t do) to support me on my journey back to good (i.e., myself ), including opening their home to my kids and me and buying a bag of $20 cat food while I was working part-time, in school, and trying to get a $2.50 raise.
I am in no hurry to live under the same roof as my mom and dad again. But I continue to feed my cats Blue Buffalo and have my family over a few Sundays a month to break bread (burritos and tempura prawns) together.
Toyota: “Let’s Go Places.”
I am a die-hard Toyota fan for life; I bought my first (and only) brand-new Toyota Scion xB in 2006. And Ol’ Faithful is trucking along seventeen years later like the little box-shaped champ that she is.
My Toyota has taken me to many places over the years: home safe from the hospital after the birth of my babes, Disneyland, camping in the woods with my babes, and down to my divorce lawyer’s office to sign the final decree to name a few.
But the most memorable destination my Toyota drives me is back to myself in my own apartment.
Nespresso: “Experience a Cup Above.”
I don’t consider myself materialistic (see #9 for reference). As long as there’s a guitar I can tune, a pen to write with, a space to break a sweat in, and a safe car to drive my kids around— I am more than content.
But drip coffee will never be a part of my morning routine again.
I am taking the kids on our annual family camping trip in a few weeks, and unfortunately, our bare-ones cabin doesn’t have a bathroom this time. But as long as there’s an outlet and enough in the budget for coffee pods, I’ll be there with my Nespresso machine experiencing a cup above in the woods with my babes.
Adidas: “Impossible is Nothing.”
If you were to have told me that a year from when I wrote this:
This is certainly not how I thought I’d be starting my next journal; still married; still stressed out; living with my parents; still in school; and gasping for air.
That I’d be writing my next article sitting at my kitchen table, sipping on a frosty San Pellegrino and listening to classical music, I’d say: ‘Shyeah, it might happen; and monkeys might fly out of my butt!’
Then I’d return to my makeshift room at my parent’s house, where I share a space with laundry appliances and cry myself to sleep again.
One year later
I’m happy. I’m thriving. And impossible is nothing.
—
Previously Published on Medium
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