The “Skillful Splurge” and Self-Care
Years ago, long before we had Facebook walls to share images, quotes, etc., I remember an email that was being passed around about a woman who had a very special and expensive bottle of perfume. If my memory serves me, her husband gave it to her as a gift on a special occasion. She adored the perfume — the beautiful bottle it came in, its scent, the luxury of having an item from a designer line. She vowed to cherish each drop and save it for use only on what she considered very special occasions.
Years later, the woman passed away, and when her loved ones came across the bottle of perfume, they noticed she had never used it. She had evidently never deemed any occasion special enough and therefore never allowed herself to enjoy the perfume.
I’m not sure if this email was based on a real story, but I suspect that there are many of us out there hoarding away perfume or other things or not treating ourselves to something special because we are waiting for some elusive moment.
Life is happening now, in this moment. Sometimes, I believe, it’s okay to “Skillfully Splurge.” What do I mean by this? If you have issues with compulsive or impulsive spending, that’s one thing — but if you rarely treat yourself to something special and have been feeling the urge to do so (and can afford it without causing yourself or those around you financial hardships or emotional distress), I say go for it!
If it’s not wise to splurge right now, there is still great fun that can be had in allowing yourself to fantasize about what it would be like to have the experience. Or, perhaps like the woman in the story, you have a bottle of perfume, a piece of jewelry, some expensive lotion — something that was given to you or that you purchased that feels like a luxury, and you don’t ever use it. Why not allow yourself the experience?
So, what item comes to mind for me? I have always thought it was so silly to spend over $30 on a lipstick, until this email came to mind recently. Yes, it is an awful lot of money for something that I usually buy at the drugstore for under $10, and truth be told, I’ll probably end up doing the fantasizing option over the actual purchasing.
It’s from YSL line. For some reason, the packaging of it reminds me of a mix of royalty, renaissance, and luxury. There is something special about this one that caught my eye quite some time ago, and it often comes to mind when I feel the urge to splurge. Interestingly, I never have.
Even just thinking about splurging on it and treating myself feels good. Perhaps it’s my Wise Mind that knows I’ll probably give myself a hard time for “foolishly” spending the money on something like this, so until that worry or concern is not present, I probably won’t follow through on the purchase. But I do have other things at home — like a gorgeously scented vanilla and citrus milky body wash, and some Miracle perfume from Lancome that I use so sparingly.
For those items I already have, I plan to skillfully splurge this week — to use the items and enjoy them. I’ll enjoy their soothing scents and the tactile sensation of applying them. I’ll remind myself that I’m worth it and that this moment is special enough for me to treat myself kindly and even pamper myself a bit.
Can you relate? Are there some items you have that you don’t use because you’re holding out for just the right moment? What about an item that you’ve been thinking of gifting to yourself?
What can you do this week to pamper yourself, just a little bit?
Thanks for reading.
More Soon.
Love this post!
Love this post!
Thank you Joyce. 🙂
Thank you Joyce. 🙂