There is one distinct way to tell if I'm unhappy - I shop! Clothes, accessories, shoes...you name it, I buy it. When I'm happy, you will see me in my same favorite outfits, but when I'm going through a rough patch? Lookout! You will never see the same outfit twice. Unless you catch me on that rare day where I can't even bear to dress myself. Then you will probably see me in raggedy pajamas that I've had since college, including a t-shirt that's so thin, I think my bra has finally worn a hole through it.
In the past few months I've gotten a makeover, invested in at least a dozen new dresses, a half dozen pairs of boots, new makeup, new (cheap) jewelery, multiple pairs of jeans, lots of underwear and bras (I'm sure my cats appreciate that since they're the only ones getting to see them), more ballet flats than any one person should own, and a library full of self help books. Depending on the day, the books are probably more beneficial than everything else, but if you're feeling shitty, there's nothing like putting on a nice new outfit and strutting your stuff. As they say in Al Anon, sometimes you need to fake it until you make it, and even if you're feeling like you're dying a slow painful death on the inside, putting on that happy face and looking good when you need to (say, when you need to go to work but would rather be crying in bed instead) can only help to boost your mood. Even if you think people won't notice your new duds/fair/shoes/etc. I'd care to bet that someone will. And sometimes when you're down in the dumps, even the smallest compliment about just about anything can really brighten your day. I'm not saying a person necessarily needs "things" to feel better about themself, but when all else fails, I think a little retail therapy can't hurt.
I wouldn't call myself materialistic. I'd much rather buy something for someone else than myself. I travel a lot for work and I'm always busy with a million different things, so money is in a greater abundance for me than time. Remember that if you're having a shower for your kid/dog/wedding. I may not actually show up, but I will send you a lovely gift.
Considering the year I've had, I feel like I should buy myself something "extra nice" for Christmas. In years past, I've had waaay more people to shop for, so this year, I have some extra cash money. Sure, I plan on buying myself a house sometime next year and I should be hoarding all of my cash, but I hardly consider a house to be a real gift. (I actually already own a house so I think the excitement of home ownership ended the first month my tenants decided they weren't going to pay their rent.) And besides...you need to treat yourself every once in awhile.
I'm not into purses. Or diamonds. I could get another cat, but as the number of cats in my house increases, the likelihood of me not becoming an old maid decreases. I don't really like shoes. An iPad might be neat, but I already have an iPhone and I'm not sure I need a bigger version of it. I'd love to just buy extra nice gifts for everyone I know, but new less codependent Roxanne realizes she needs to treat herself once in awhile.
When you're feeling blue, what do you like to treat yourself to? Or...if you were me, what would you buy yourself for the holidays?
No comments:
Post a Comment