If You Do One Thing Today, Let It Be Getting New Lotion

Lotion is a small thing, but it makes a big impact

Sophie Lucido Johnson
Forge

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Illustration by the author.

Let’s talk about lotion.

Yeah, lotion. Just, lotion. Maybe you’re thinking, “Surely she’s not talking about lotion. Maybe she has misspelled ‘potion’ or ‘notion.’ I can’t imagine that this whole post is about lotion.” But it is. In Chicago, the weather is in the single digits this week, and there is no better companion to cold cold weather than … well, than hot tea and snuggles. But after hot tea and snuggles, it’s lotion. Lotion is the most important thing you can do for yourself right now. Indeed, I’m gonna die on that hill.

You don’t really need to spend a lot of money on the lotion. One of my most important lotions (MILs) cost me 79 cents. I bought it initially because I liked the size of its tin: like a round medal from a trophy shop. It felt good in my hand. But now I appreciate that it fits in the pockets of my coat. When I was waiting in line in the 15 degree cold to get my rapid Covid test a few weeks ago, I pulled the lotion out a bunch of times and rubbed it on my hands, and it made things better. Young me would have (erroneously) believed that such lotion would make things (fingers) colder, but it really doesn’t. It helps.

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Sophie Lucido Johnson
Forge
Writer for

A person who writes and draws and eats her feelings.