I was an odd child, if not a tad bit unconventional.

In the winters, my skin used to get extremely dry. Like any good mother would, mine would apply lotion to my cracked and raw hands. But I would have none of that. I hated lotion. No. I despised lotion with the passion and hatred of a trillion fires. It made me feel weaker. I couldn’t hold onto things properly. The slimy texture and the oily feeling were so unpalatable to my childhood self, that I couldn’t handle it when my mother would rub that jasmine-scented torture all over my hands.

One day I stayed home from school because I was sick. My mom was in the kitchen making me some chicken noodle soup when I looked down at my hands. They were dry, and I knew what would happen if my mom found out. I had to find another option. I rifled around my room, looking through everyday household items to find a solution. Soon, an idea struck me. I would use THIS to make my hands nice and smooth again! I took it. 

I cut up a piece. 

I laid it flat on my hands. 

With a yank, I pulled off the duct tape, and with it, the abominable dry skin. Voilà! Smooth and only slightly bloody.

My mom was horrified.