I is for Indulgence

[caption id="attachment_4367" align="alignright" width="300"] Tea time with my girls. Notice I made some of my scones heart-shaped, just for the princess.[/caption]

One of the lessons I'm learning is the value of indulging oneself. Not to the point of being a silly, spoiled brat, but in saying, "I am worth it." Indulging yourself once and a while means slowing down and taking the time to care for yourself so that you are better equipped to do the things you need to do- including taking care of others. My friend Lucille Zimmerman wrote a great book on self-care, and I learned so much from her in the process of critiquing her book before it was published. I used to be the kind of person who took care of myself last, and found that I was always worn out, run down, and never seemed to have any time for myself.

Let's face it. I'm a busy mom. I have a busy life. I imagine that a lot of the people reading my blog can say the same about their lives. But you know what? Taking time for yourself, indulging yourself in a few things that fill you up make you a better person. Again, I'm not talking about always thinking of yourself or putting yourself first all the time. But every once and a while, give yourself permission to do something good for you because you want it.

Today was an indulgence day for me. The kids were off school for a snow day. But I had a massage appointment booked. Fortunately, the roads weren't bad, and you know what? I need my massages. For a long time, I waited until I was in a lot of pain to finally go in and get it taken care of. Not anymore. I have a standing appointment every other week. Yes, every other week. Is it expensive? I found a good deal that allows me to prepay for 12 sessions, and when I do that, it costs 50% less than if I bought them individually. So yes, it costs quite a bit of money, but I have less pain and am more relaxed because I make a point to do something good for my body.

After my massage, I worked for a little while, but then I remembered I had some yummy scone mix in the pantry I'd been wanting to use, so why not have a tea party with my girls? I made scones, used my good teapot, my good tea, my nice tea cups, and the girls and I had a lovely afternoon visit. It feels good to use my nice things, instead of saving them up for special occasions. I made a special occasion out of an ordinary day, indulging my love of scones, tea, and time with my girls.

This evening, after the girls went to bed, I took a bath with some lovely bubble bath my friend gave me for my birthday and read a book. Another indulgence.

I could have cleaned my house. To be honest, I should have cleaned my house. But the dirt will keep. Instead, I took some time to take care of myself and do something nice for me. I feel really good. I am relaxed and ready for a good night's sleep. And tomorrow, I will tackle everything else I needed to do with gusto- except maybe cleaning the house.