I Kept It Too Long

 

I kept it because it was pretty. 

Even when it started to hurt. 

Even if it was already looking nasty. 

No matter how hard I tried to clean it, some of the dirt just wouldn’t budge anymore., 

And the bristles. 

A lot of them have lost their bristle tips. 

And it hurt when I brushed. 

And the empty tips were also pulling my hair. 

But still, I kept it.

Because it was pretty.

Because it was glittery.

Because technically, it still worked.

And maybe because throwing something away when it can still be used has always felt a little wasteful to me.

So I kept brushing my hair with it.

And kept getting annoyed when it pulled.

Kept wincing when one of those exposed bristles scratched my scalp.

Until one day I thought:

Why am I doing this?

It’s a hairbrush.

It’s supposed to make something as ordinary as brushing my hair feel good.

And this one didn’t anymore.

That thought felt strangely bigger than the brush in my hand.

Because how many things do we keep simply because they’re still there?

Things we’ve outgrown.

Things that used to make us happy.

Things that still look beautiful from the outside, but no longer feel good when we actually use them.

Sometimes we even convince ourselves that a little discomfort is fine because the thing is still functional.

But I don’t want “still functional” to be the standard for everything in my life.

Especially not for the little things I use every day.

This issue is about having more fun, flirting with life a little, and letting ourselves enjoy things simply because they make us happy.

And I think part of that is knowing when something isn’t fun anymore.

Even when it’s pretty.

Maybe especially when it’s pretty.

Self-respect doesn’t always arrive as a grand declaration.

Sometimes, it’s standing in your bathroom holding an old glittery hairbrush and finally deciding:

I don’t have to keep using something that hurts me just because I’ve had it for a long time.

I can replace it.

I can choose something that feels better.

I can let the pretty thing go.

So I did.

And you know what?

I don’t miss it.

It had its time.

It made me happy once.

That was enough.

There are far too many beautiful, fun things waiting for me to keep holding on to one that stopped feeling good a long time ago.

—-

With elegance and quiet fire,
Lady E

Founder, Glow by Lady E 
An editorial space for stories, art, and intentional living