Treat Yo' Self

The lovely staff at Safety Harbor Resort and Spa in Safety Harbor, FL upgraded our room today to a suite with this absolutely stellar view.

You see, it's our anniversary and I wanted to do something special for myself and my husband, Mark. And so I booked a stay here while we had free family babysitting services for Otto. Then we got upgraded, and I was so excited that I tried to call Mark and have him come here as soon as possible. It turns out, however, that he was unable to leave earlier and join me. So when I hung up the phone, a cloud of disappointment, like the afternoon Florida rain clouds that visit from time to time, cast a shadow over the sparkle of happenstance that spurred excitement and merriment in me just a few minutes prior. "What a waste," was my first thought, "he's not even going to enjoy the accommodations we have."

After pouting for a couple of seconds, I realized that the only person who was not enjoying the good fortune of our posh accommodations is me. I realized that I had hinged my celebration of this gift on the shared reaction of someone outside of myself. The fact of the matter is that it was I who got upgraded. And thus, it was up to me to find joy in this moment, and I promptly got tea, sat down, and am now basking in the warm feeling of being pampered by the universe. And Mark can join me too, if he'd like.

You see, dear readers (the two of you who are still reading this), in our age of sharing every bit of ourselves on social media, we have hinged our successes, enjoyment, and celebrations on other people's reactions to our accomplishments and good fortune. We experience disappointment when engagement on our posts is minimal, and sometimes even question the value or validity of those life moments based on how much people "like" our posts. As I come to realize today, however, is that YOU are the lead actor/actress in the play that is your life. The plot happens to YOU, my dear reader, and thus YOU are the only one that can bring value to those magical moments in your life.

What are the next steps, then, Irene? Well, you know me as a woman of action, so here are some points to consider in the next few days:

*Instead of taking a selfie of your food and sharing it on Instagram, take a moment to reflect on the beauty of the colors of the ingredients, take a whiff of the aroma of the dish, and bring your hands over the food and see if you can feel the electromagnetic qi emanating from the nutrients of your meal.

*Celebrate a milestone or accomplishment privately, and plan to keep it private for as long as possible, if not forever.

*Realize that enthusiasm is a spectrum. Perhaps my level of expression of enthusiasm is at fireworks, and Mark's is a dancing camping flame. But the excitement and enjoyment of these special moments still have the same effect on the people feeling them.