… do all those things that are frowned upon. You know, indulge yourself.
Whether it’s a bubble bath, another shot of espresso, a pair of wicked heels your calf muscles will regret loudly in the morning, an evening of Lifetime movies and Cherry Garcia, a gloriously fudgey brownie, a bottle of good wine that’s just a little bit too expensive, or the joy of really speaking your mind to someone without considering the consequences, there are things in life that really need doing.
Of course you can’t do all of them, and you can’t do them all the time. That’s why they’re indulgences and not physical necessities. Food, water, air, shelter, caffeine… these are basic necessities. Without them we literally cannot live for long. Okay, maybe caffeine is an exaggeration, but only a tiny one.
But indulgences are the things that make life feel really, really good. Any one of them may be completely extraneous to the business of staying alive, but without them we don’t feel all that much like keeping on keeping on. That’s why along with the Red Cross bringing food and medical aid to disaster victims, there are also organizations that provide the children in those disasters with stuffed animals and groups that bring handmade quilts to people who are suffering dread long-term illnesses in hospitals. Sure, the quilts and the Teddy bears aren’t strictly needed. They just make surviving worth it.
So remember to indulge yourself in the rough times. Heck, even in the not-so-rough times, it doesn’t hurt to say yes to something every twice in a while just because it makes you smile.
Speaking of which, my friends, I’m off on a month of vacation from blogging. It’s been a couple years since I took more than a few days off, and I’m not quite sure what I’ll be doing with myself. It is, however, time to get in touch with a few things inside me.
Fear not, though. Come September, I’ll be back and tilting at windmills seven days a week. That’s kind of my indulgence. I just have the wonderful good fortune to get paid to do it.
Take care of yourselves! See you all in September.
