I’m always so busy doing and making stuff for other people that I seldom make or do anything ‘just for me’. And when I DO keep something that I made, it’s usually only because it has a flaw and wouldn’t sell anyhow!?!?! What is up with that???
Now that I am ‘on my way to being 60 years old’ I’ve decided to ‘do a little something nice for myself’ every once in a while.
It started with these ballet slippers. They are an item that I always look for and buy (at the right price) to sell in my booths. And every time I’d buy a pair and ready them for sale, by stuffing them and tying on the price tag with a pretty ribbon; I’d secretly wish I could keep them for myself. But I just never did!
Until now! I finally convinced myself that I DESERVE some things that I want and kept the last pair of ballet slippers I found. Hung them on the ‘white bedroom’ wall, alongside a vintage baby blouse and slip. ( which I only ‘allowed’ myself to keep because they didn’t sell back when we had our store!)
I blame my mother for this affliction. This ‘you don’t deserve to have what you want’ disease of the mind. She is long gone, but her continual invalidation of me and my talents (of which she thought I had NONE, and never missed an opportunity to remind me of!) and monopolization of my life via the guilt trips she sent me on; seem to linger still.
I’m working on getting over it. Shopping therapy really DOES help in this case.
I recently decided to start ‘rewarding myself’ every month that I exceeded a certain sales benchmark at both malls. Last month was one such month, so I bought myself a new CLOCK!
A BIG clock. A big RED clock! This baby is 34″ tall!!! I almost screeched aloud with delight when I saw it in the store, as I walked past it; and down the next aisle, looking for what it was I had gone there for in the first place.
I didn’t NEED a clock. I’m a ‘clock person’. I like to have a clock ‘within a glance’ at all times, otherwise I lose track of time. (but I don’t wear a watch! Go figure?!?) And I HAVE a clock on the wall of every room in this house. Including both bathrooms. And as shown above in the living room. And if you look behind you from this spot, you can see the clock on the kitchen wall. And of course there is a clock on the stove. A clock in the craft room that you can see if you look to the left and one in the dining room if you look to the right; and a second clock on a dining room wall for good measure. AND alarm clocks in both bedrooms. Like I said, I’m a CLOCK person!
MANY of the clocks are purely functional, one came from the dollar store even. One was a thrift store find (new & still in the box!) I did NOT need another clock. But I LOVED this ginormous RED clock!!
And I DESERVE to have things ‘once in a while’ for NO REASON other than that I love and want it and it makes me HAPPY!
I had to ‘give up’ one of my old clocks to make room for this one. It’s SO big and heavy that I was not even able to hang it by myself! I had to have Michael do it for me.
It is now the living room clock. And when I look at it to see the time, it will make me happy. And I won’t feel guilty for being happy nor occasionally buying a little something that MAKES me happy!
BONUS HAPPINESS POINTS! it was ‘Senior Discount Day’ and with what I saved on the clock I basically got these cutie patootie ramekins for FREE!!! (I kind of have a ‘thing’ for ramekins too!)
Look how TINY they are?!?! The ‘bumps’ on the sides are supposed to be a lion’s head. I actually have a couple of soup size bowls in this same design in my booth at Stars. I thought about selling some of these, or bringing the bowls home to keep. But I don’t NEED any more bowls. And bowls don’t make me happy like big red clocks or tiny cute ramekins do!
What makes YOU happy?
AJ's Trash2Treasure BLOG 