In my endless quest to be beautiful, I stumbled upon what I thought was the holy grail — Korean beauty products. Snail serums, vitamin C-masks, kojac sponges, oh my! I did so much research,  carefully scrutinized ingredient lists, read reviews: I knew, for sure, the green tea mask I picked-out was going to make me look like a 20 year old again.

1 week after I started using the mask though, I started getting these little white bumps all over my face. I knew something was wrong, but I already had a solution at home — green tea mask. Green tea after all is a potent antioxidant, so I started using the mask twice a day. The bumps got worse so I started cutting-out my old products, thinking I had developed a sudden allergy to a cream or a wash.

What in the heck was causing these bumps? It literally took weeks before I realized what you, Dear Reader, probably think is obvious — it was the green tea mask. Sure enough, after I stopped my skin soon cleared-up.  

But, all this begs a question: Why in the hell did it take me so long to figure-out that the green tea mask was causing the bumps?

I tend to think of myself as someone who is good with natural remedies. I am knowledgeable about healing herbs and other ingredients. Plus, I am a hell of a researcher, I can dig through data and sort fact from fiction. I knew green tea was a “good” ingredient with powerful anti-aging properties. My belief in what I thought I “knew” was so strong that I literally ignored evidence to the contrary even though it was written all over my face. I had a blind spot.

Everyone who drives knows exactly what a blind spot is — its a space that, because of your orientation or your perspective, you just can’t see. But, just because you can’t see something, it doesn’t mean there is nothing there!

This whole Peeking Over the Fence chapter is filled with stories about the lies I believe and truths I ignore: ‘Deserve’ protects me from poverty, smoking laws should follow my personal habits/preferences,  other people are at fault for my sexual misdeeds, my kitchen is always clean and my expectations are always going to be met. I am a special little tree, exempt from decay, free of from the 8 worldly conditions, on an always up-and-up trajectory getting richer and more beautiful by the day.   

The thing is, when in a car we all know we need to be mindful of blind spots because what you can’t see can cause you harm.Time to lead life a little more eyes-wide-open Alana, because my blind spots are going to come and bite me in the ass…or the face, as the case may be.