On my fourteenth birthday, my grandmother gave me a bottle of a wildly popular, fairly expensive perfume. My mother hinted to her, that perhaps the fragrance was a bit too ‘grown-up’ for me. Needless to say, my teenage ego soared, and I’ve worn this scent ever since.

The other day I noticed that after spritzing my arms and neck generously with my beloved spray, that I’d broken out into hives. Large, painful welts erupted all over my arms, neck and parts of my face. It was horrible, and yet I refused to believe that my discomfort was the result of my traditional Eau de Toilette. As a precaution, I discontinued its use and vowed to recommit to it after a few weeks. Only a few days had passed before I was drenching my skin in its delicate aroma again. Moments later, I was clawing at my skin, whimpering in pain. That was that, my love affair with Acme Fragrance B was over.

This upsetting event was yet another addition to the favorites I’d lost over the years. At the age of twenty-five, I said goodbye to dairy products after a triple scoop of ice cream left me grabbing my stomach in agony, at what felt like tiny shards of glass moving through my intestines. At the age of thirty, I had to say Adios to soda after noticing that my eyelids would jump so intensely after a few sips, that I could barely see. I took a swig of Sprite recently… it still happens. At age forty, I bid farewell to gummy bears. And honestly, it’d been easier to give up some friendships than to give up gummy bears. Anytime I eat them now (I cheat), I get one of the worse migraines ever.

And now at forty-five, I would have to alter the segment of my morning ritual pertaining to my olfactory indulgence. BUMMER! Finding a lesson in everything, I saw this as an opportunity to try a new perfume. Change is inevitable, and not always a bad thing. Just because you’ve been doing something for the past twenty years, doesn’t mean that you must continue to do it for the next twenty years. Especially if it’s no longer working for you.

Some of you right now are at jobs that you absolutely hate, but because you’ve been there for ten years…

Some of you are in stagnant relationships that are bad for your health, but because you fear being alone…

Some of you have never stepped foot outside of the city that you grew up in, but because your mamma and daddy never left the city either…

My point… pay attention to what your mind, body and soul is telling you. Don’t ignore those cues indicating that change is not only necessary, but vital. Life was not meant to be lived in discomfort.