De.Ca.Dent.

This morning was decadent.  There is no other word for it.  Maybe blissful.  Or restorative.  But decadent seemed most apropos. 

Let me set the stage.  The past few weeks have been rough.  I'm an environmental attorney who has been absolutely buried at work this summer.  I'm grateful for the work but pretty overwhelmed right now.  I've also just begun my year as Chair of a foundation as well as being on the Board of the Women's Energy Network to run their upcoming charity lunch.  Plus I'm starting a women's bible study in the fall.  Then we had our nanny out for a week.  Which resulted in all of us getting sick.  And I had to leave town to give a major speech.  Then, I hit my brand new car pretty nastily yesterday when rushing out of my parking garage to get to a client meeting.  Oh, and we leave at three am tonight to drive to Oklahoma with the kids to see my dad.  This morning I was completely fried.  However, we'd pushed our trip back a day so I could stay home and clean a few rooms that are CLOSING in on us.  Three toddlers have stuff that seep into every crevice in your house.  I started feeling like I would get featured on Hoarders soon if I didn't do something.  But I've not taken a week's vacation since my honeymoon in 2006 so I knew a day would be all I could negotiate for now. 

This morning, I had a list of errands that had to be run, all before 10 am so I could tackle my home projects.  But to pat myself on the back for surviving the summer I said I could go grab breakfast.  Nowhere fancy, just a place up the road where they have good coffee and wheat pancakes.  I sat for a half hour and enjoyed my breakfast, coffee and newspaper.  Then I looked down.  My feet were a WRECK in my very open toed sandals.  And I was about to be around a bunch of people for the weekend in very open toed sandals.  You guys have had this happen right?  No time for a pedicure and you're at work in shoes that allow it to go a little longer than ideal.  Well, I glanced down the little strip center and lo and behold a nail place.  And it was open this early - who knew some opened at 9 am???  Score!  I ran inside and there was nothing but availability. 

Then life slowed down.  This place, a totally unassuming strip center nail place, was a gift.  They had great music playing.  One of those big comfy massage chairs.  And all sort of deluxe extras you only get at a spa like wax treatments for your hand and hot stone massages of your feet and legs.  OH, and they had the most recent issues of People magazine.  I'm sorry, but that is a MUST at a nail place.  As I sat reading about Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Lopez, I started going limp.  The magazines literally slid off my legs onto the floor as I half slept, completely guilt-free since the place was empty, while these miracle workers spent AN HOUR pampering me.  No splash and dash mani/pedi like I get downtown in a rush, but the whole enchilada.  Holy moly.  It was fabulous.  As I started coming out of my coma, I explained that I had a day off from one year old toddlers and, after getting over the shock, they nodded knowingly at my reaction.

After that, I was in no rush.  I went by a department store to return some online purchases and allowed myself to peruse the swimsuit section.  Now I have not purchased a new suit since I had the triplets and we have a pool in our backyard.  Yes, that look on your face is absolutely appropriate.  Everything in the store was 65% off and...........wait for it............I found not one but TWO absolutely adorable swimsuits (gasp, have you ever even said those words before?).  I ran the remainder of my errands almost luxuriously, gassing up/picking up dry cleaning/last minute grocery pick-ups with a zen-like happiness, and returned home at 12:05.  Yes, it was two hours later than I had "planned."  Yes, I didn't get quite as much accomplished as I had "planned."  But I am a totally different person.  I was exhausted and stressed out and frustrated, and a few hours of decadence worked wonders.  It didn't take a week at the Ritz in Paris; it took a couple of hours and about a hundred bucks for a yummy breakfast, a long mani/pedi, and two cute swimsuits.

If you're near the end of your rope, then give yourself a little time.  Work it in somehow.  I'm the poster child for not being able to fit this kind of stuff into my life, but after coming off of this morning, I can tell you, it's so worth it.