Treating yourself to something special should not fill you with guilt. (The squirrels at our cabin enjoyed the treats I put out for the birds and felt no guilt.) So why is it as we get older treating ourselves or enjoying a simple pleasure can make us feel guilty?
Is it such a bad thing to sit back and enjoy a beautiful day? Even if you should be worrying about the flooded basement or the fact that you haven't been to the gym all week or written a single word on your novel this week...
The fact is, it's okay to treat yourself. It's a healthy behavior, but often hard to do without guilt. I think it has a lot to do with being worried about looking frivolous (I love that word). Life can't just be about work. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO HAVE TREATS! Treats don't have to be expensive. They just have to give you pleasure. Look at my lovely onion...It is a treat for my family...and we appreciated it. It was the first onion we've EVER grown. Have you ever seen such a beautiful onion? We hadn't. We treated ourselves to taking the time to enjoy the beauty of our onion in the middle of
THIS:
In the middle of all of the excitement I reached a blog milestone. I am 799 followers away from 1,000! Which sounds like a reason to celebrate, right? And what's a party without friends? My blog buddy Jackee is only 796 people away from 1,000 followers. Jackee and I will be announcing the beginning of our REALLY RANDOM PRIZE GIVE AWAY(s) next week...So be ready....It's going to be EPIC!
(I hope you will join us for some fun and some treats over the next few weeks! )
What do you consider a special treat???
I'm sorry about your flood.
ReplyDeleteI always feel guilty about treating myself. Even writing feels like an indulgence. But I'm trying to get better about it. Right about now I could use a good piece of chocolate.
I treat myself often.... sorry about the flood, hope it works out.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the mess and the flooded basement, but focus on your priorities and remember that in the big scheme of life, this is just a bump in the road (easy to say I know)...Try to relax and be good to yourself this weekend; a few easy days will help you face the repairs and give you a fresh outlook in regard to your novel, energy for the gym...I wanted to thank you for the sweet, lovely comments on my blog; your kindness is so appreciated...Take care and good luck with everything...I am an email away if you need to vent!
ReplyDeleteTheresa--Thanks...it's been an icky week...
ReplyDeleteI recently saw one of those "doctor" show on TV and the Dr. said that it is better to have a bit of sugar than it is to have artificial sweetener!
Jeff--Sorry I haven't gotten to your post this week. I'll hop over there right now. I saw it and realized I needed to be in good form to read/critique the segment you posted. :)
Jacqueline--Thanks...There must be a story or something I can get out this experience, right??? You have no idea how much you helped me when Stripes died. You have a lovely blog and it makes me smile when I stop in and visit your babies. :)
Awwwww!! Your onion is the best looking onion I have ever feasted my eyes on!!! It's a lovely onion and you should be proud of it! I hope you savoured every inch of that fine onion! :-)
ReplyDeleteI think you deserve lots of treats after your flooding! My goodness - good luck with the clear up and the renovation!
And YAY for your close to 1000 followers!! That's just brilliant!
Treats for me means chocolate!!!! Oh yes. In any form. Yum. :-)
Take care
x
hi miss sharon! i like the squirrel pic. i got a couple i feed every day and yep they steal the bird food lots. the cloud pic is neat. at the top i see macy floating on her back with her paws up and her ears floating behind the top of her head. look! shes smiling! at the bottom on the right i see a horse head with a curly mane and its eating a bunch of cloud oats. ha ha. im glad your doing treats for you guys. not sure if an onion could be a treat for me. ummm nope! ha ha.
ReplyDelete...hugs and smiles from lenny
Ahh, treats. I'm planning to go get a pedicure before I go to the SCBWI LA conference. I haven't had a pedicure in over a year, so I feel bad for the girl who will have to deal with my feet! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your flood. And keep enjoying those beautiful onions. :) It's the simple things in life that sometimes bring us the most pleasure, right?
Amy
If anyone deserves a treat, you do! I hope your home gets dried out and back to order soon. I'm sending along a virtual hot fudge sundae, with extra hot fudge, to treat yourself. Take care, and wow, what an onion too :)
ReplyDeleteI really needed this post. The simple, beautiful things of summer are just now beginning to appear for me. Finally, the beauty of an onion or the taste of a lazy afternoon margarita.
ReplyDelete(And then I was in Target yesterday and they have Back to School stuff up.....wha???)
Shelley
added myself as a follower on your friend's cool blog.
ReplyDeleteSo I treated myself ALL day today. Had fish and chips for lunch, then had an ice cream cone for afternoon snack. And now, thanks to you, I will not feel guilty about either!
Jennifer--It is a lovely onion! Now we are worried that none of the others will measure up to it...Thanks for the well wishes. :) Silly me, I need to get some chocolates for my prize trunk...(Consider it done!)
ReplyDeleteLenny--I'm glad you like squirrels too. I have some great photos of them hanging upside down with paws full of birdseed. You have a great imagination! (I won't be giving away any onions in my Random Prize Party...)
Amy--I can't wait to hear all about your adventure in LA! I'm glad you are treating yourself to a pedicure. I keep thinking about getting a massage, but then think about the cost and change my mind. :(
Joanne--A virtual hot fudge sundae...That's perfect...it's calorie free. Thanks!
Shelley--Have you been to Hobby Lobby? They have Christmas stuff out already...Talk about rushing your life away!
Terry--Congrat's on your book cover and signing with an agent! Thanks for becoming a follower on Jackee's blog. She is a delightful person! Fish and chips sound lovely! I'm glad I helped you become guilt free today. :)
That IS a beautiful onion. We were going to have a garden this year, but didn't get around to planting it. Probably just as well, the flowers I planted have been nibbled to death by the bunnies. Imagine what they would have done to my carrots and onions?
ReplyDeleteA special treat for me is quiet/alone time.
I love the squirrel, it is sure having fun. My special treat is when a homeless critter gets a wonderful forever home. Fills my heart clean up!
ReplyDeleteI am a first time visitor. Saw your Centus on Jenny's comments and decided to pop over. I hope you join in sometime yours was really good. I am sorry about your water...really - water can suck. I hope all falls back into place soon.
ReplyDeleteA treat for me? Doing what I did tonight NOTHING worthwhile but yet so much...I finally blew through a months worth of pictures and drafted several posts! Now I have content for those LAZY days! YEAH.
But I will in fact go to bed regretting it, I will be thinking of all the other things I now still have to do, I will feel guilty.
Here's a quote to cheer you up:
ReplyDelete“Chaos in the world brings uneasiness, but it also allows the opportunity for creativity and growth.” --Tom Barrett
So you see, there's good in chaos, even when we can't see it. Like Grandma D says: Find the silver lining in the dark rain cloud.
You're awesome, hope it all works out for you.
ReplyDeletethx for your advice, it helps so much.
Congrats on being closer to 1000! And bummer about the flooding - I know that sucks. What's my treat? A proper chocolate macaroon mmmmmm
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be EPIC! So very exciting. :o) Thanks so much for including me--I'll have my party announcment up later today.
ReplyDeleteAnd my special treat is anything comfortable. A warm cup of herbal tea and a quiet house are especially lovely.
Sorry about the flood. :o( I hope things are fixed now.
A $5 White Chocolate Mocha with a shot of Carmel from the local coffee house is one of my treats.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your flood situation!
Weee, prizes!
ReplyDeleteIm so sorry about your house though, Sharon!Hope everything gets back to normal as fast as possible!
And I had totally forgotten about giving myself a little treat, its always work never fun. its great to sit bak and relax a little!
Hi Sharon .. I do hope the clearing up is going ok & the problem has been resolved .. flooding at any time is not what you need.
ReplyDeleteTaking time out .. though also helps .. just sitting being .. and wondering with the world at this world of ours - nature at its best all the times ..
Hope all gets back to normal relatively soon .. look after yourself .. Hilary
Vicki--Thanks...the onion tasted lovely! We put chicken wire around the lettuce, carrots, spinach, peas and broccoli.
ReplyDeleteBrian--I thought you might like the squirrel picture. :) Both of our cats were rescue cats. Stripes was from the Missouri Feline Rescue and Ginger came from a farm that had about 30 cats running around on it.
Terra--Thanks for stopping in. You have a lovely blog. Those pictures are so funny!
You shouldn't feel guilty for taking some time off...Every once and a while we have a stay in your pajamas all day day...Rest will make you more productive!
Buffy--Thanks for the great quote! I should be feeling creative.
Congratulations on reading 799 followers away from 1000, Sharon! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about the flood, and hope the sorting and recovery won't be really bad. <3
This post is so lovely. It's true that as we grow older, we seem to be filled with guilt over having simple treats and pleasures. My treats are buying books (expensive, but they make me happy) and just having alone time with myself and no obligations. :)
Jeff--You are welcome! Remember when someone critiques your work, you don't have to follow their advice. You don't want to lose your "voice" by making changes to your manuscript. :)
ReplyDeleteNicole--Thanks...the guys get here tomorrow morning to evaluate. I've never had a chocolate macaroon. It sounds yummy!
Jackee--We are going to have so much fun!!!
I love orange spice tea!
DL--That sounds sinfully good!
Clara--It should be a fun few weeks we are going to kick of the fun on Wednesday...
It's important to treat yourself. I buy flowers for people all of the time because I love flowers in the house. About six months ago I started doing flowers on Friday for myself, I stopped when Stripes died. I need to start doing it again. Having fresh flowers makes me feel more cheerful.
Hilary--It's going okay. We'll find out about the walls tomorrow. I've got my fingers crossed. I love nature too.
Sandy--Thanks. :) Jackee and I are going to throw one fun (long) blog party!
Books are such a good treat. I left the house for the first time, since the flood, this afternoon. We went out for lunch and to B & N. I ordered some books, bought some books, and lost myself and the thoughts of the mess here for a good hour. :)
Thanks for stopping by everyone! I hope you'll come back on Wednesday!!!
Salt & Pepper pistachios are one of my favorite treats.
ReplyDeleteStories and poems, reading blogs, playing with my kids, and going for walks are treats as well.
I'm sorry about the flood, but congrats on the followers.
Oh, Sharon; I am so sorry about the floody mess. I've been there and it is so not fun. Hope recovery is quick and complete.
ReplyDeleteOn another note; I wish you lived nearby. Someone dumped a little kitten along the highway... prob'ly not more than a month old... and you would be such a perfect person for her. At least, I think its a girl. Actually, I've given the kitten her space and not... well, you know... investigated. ahem
She is the sweetest little thing. I've been calling her Kanga on accounta' she hops like a kangaroo. And of course, you know she's being well taken care of. If you know of some way to get her to you, though, I know it would be a perfect match.
Good luck with the floody mess. And thanks for the reminder that treats are good things.
~ Yaya
Yaya's Home
By the way, I like your friend's blog, too. My treat is always either a book or a new tablet of some kind. Or a new pen, or some kind of office supply-type toy, or stickers or craft toys. Well, you get the picture. I have no guilt about treating myself.
ReplyDeleteThat is one gorgeous onion.
~ Yaya
I popped over from Jackee's blog. You've got a great place here. Hope your basement is fixed up soon - that's gotta be so frustrating!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you know I'm over here following you now from Jackee's blog. :)
ReplyDeleteA cup of tea, I make at home, is a nice treat that is quilt free.
ReplyDeleteAn iced coffee or a cappuccino, that I have to go out to buy, is a guilty treat.
Yaya--Aww, thanks for thinking of me. I'm sure you'll make Kanga a lovely home!
ReplyDeleteI love new notebooks and pens too. :)
Jemi--Thanks for stopping in...I'm awaiting the water guys right now. Hopefully, they are going to say it's dry and then we start the process of putting it back together again...
Sarah--Thanks for dropping in. Don't you just love Jackee...I am so glad I met her!
Susanne--I've started having a cup or tea in the evenings...you are right, they are a lovely guilt free (calorie free) treat. I like a really strong cup of coffee as a going out treat. :) (Of course I have to make sure it's not too late in the day or I won't be able to sleep...)
I'm so sorry to hear about your flood Sharon!
ReplyDeleteA treat, hm. A treat for me would be time away from the computer, blogging, tweeting etc without feeling GUILTY!
I never feel guilty for taking time away. I sometimes feel guilty for eating too much Dove dark, though.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the basement. I hope it gets cleared up soon. :)
It would be a treat not to feel guilty for taking time off! Haven't figured out how to make that one work yet. I'm a new follower, jumped over from Jackee's blog - I'm also running a 100-follower contest, if you'd like to stop by and enter! :)
ReplyDeleteTalli--Thanks...it's officially dry, but what a mess!
ReplyDeleteIt does always feel like you should be doing something (network wise) other than writing doesn't it!
Elana--Dark chocolate is supposed to be good for you! No worries there, but I thought you were a twizzler girl???
Susan Kaye--Thanks for stopping in! I'll hop over and check you out! Don't you love Jackee! She is so sweet...
Lovely questions, Sharon! I think somewhere along the line, we draw circles around ourselves and forget to enjoy what we have. Sorry about your flooded basement :-(. That onion bulb is sure a beauty!
ReplyDeleteHopefully everything is getting settled back in your basement. I know from experience that a wet basement is not fun! Especially for those of us who can't stand a mess ~ ha!
ReplyDeleteIf I want to 'treat' myself, I have a long hot bath in the middle of the afternoon, good book in hand and a glass of my favourite wine on the side! mmmm... most enjoyable!
Hope you are having a 'dry' week friend!
xo Catherine
A special treat for me is meeting a fellow writing friend at our local coffee shop - splurging on treats, spending an hour chatting, then ending our visit with a 15 minute "word war" on our laptops - to get us motivated with our writing again!
ReplyDelete