Happy New Year

Hello, and welcome to my Do Something Nice For Yourself Today blog!

One of my resolutions for 2009 is to do something nice for myself every day. I take resolutions seriously, but this is one specifically designed to not be taken too seriously. For example, if it is the end of a crappy day, and I just want to collapse into bed, this is not a resolution to make me feel guilty about having not done something nice for myself. This is not a "should"-driven resolution, it is a "what do I feel like"-driven resolution. The point of it is to make doing nice things for myself a priority.

Doing nice things for myself (or yourself!) isn't necessarily about spending money: Meditate, go for a walk, have a cup of tea out of a nice teacup. It could involve money, like buying some hand lotion that makes you smile every time you smell it. In these economic times, I think we need to remind ourselves that being nice to ourselves isn't about spending money.

So--join me! Do someting nice for yourself today! Today, I played some Christmas carols on the piano (I hadn't yet this season). Maybe I'll do some knitting this evening.

This resolution is all about being in touch with what you feel like doing. Today. I really enjoyed playing the piano, but if I don't feel like doing it tomorrow, this resolution is not about making me feel that I should.

There is a story that I think is apropos. I love to sew; I have sewn since I was 4. It is relaxing to me; a creative outlet. After crazy workdays, I used to come home and sew until all hours, settling my mind, and freeing myself from my work stresses. One day, I was talking with my sister, telling her about my recent sewing projects; she replied that she "should" do more sewing. (No, no. That is not what this is about, I thought.) Sewing was always stressful for my sister; it was not a relaxing escape for a stressful job. So--if you are like my sister, sewing does not count as something nice to do for yourself. (Dawn, tell me if I am wrong.) Even if you think you "should" like something, if you don't, it doesn't count. For me, sewing something I want to sew counts; heming my husband's pants doesn't.

Feel free to add comments, telling everyone what nice things you are doing for yourself!

Until later,
Bonny Joy