Sometimes you just… you know? Feel like you’re doing everything you’re *supposed* to do, everything they tell you to do to be like, a proper adult, a proper professional, and still, you feel like a kid playing dress-up. Like, I’ve been at this department store for TWENTY years. TWENTY. Started in juniors, moved up to home goods, now I’m like, assistant manager of women’s accessories. It’s a good job, you know, pays the bills, good benefits. My kids are grown, almost, one’s in college, the other’s saving for a car. And my mom… well, she’s getting older, so I help out there. It’s… it’s a lot. And you just want to feel like you have it all together, like you're not falling apart at the seams, especially when you're out there on the floor, smiling at customers who are probably half your age. And here’s the thing… like, I spend my ENTIRE lunch break, every single day, just… reapplying my makeup. Not just a touch-up, you know? Like, the whole shebang. Foundation, concealer, powder, blush, eye stuff, lipstick. Because if there’s even, like, one tiny red spot, or a little dark circle showing, I just… I feel so exposed. So unprofessional. Like everyone can see right through me, see that I’m tired, that I’m getting older, that maybe I don't *actually* have it all figured out. It’s crazy, I know. It's just makeup. But it feels like a shield, you know? Like if I don’t have this perfect face on, they’ll all think I'm slacking, or I don't care about my job, or… I don't know. Like I'm not good enough. It’s just… you get to this age, and you see all these younger girls coming in, fresh out of college, perfect skin, just naturally glowing, and you’re like, "Oh, god, am I… am I still presentable?" And I know it’s stupid, it’s just my face, but it feels like the one thing I can control, the one thing that says, "I'm still here, I'm still doing it, I'm still professional." Even if inside I’m just… counting down the minutes till I can go home and take it all off and just be myself, blemishes and all. But I can't let them see that, you know? Not on the clock. It's just exhausting.