Permissions

Since I'm feeling the stuffy oppression of the "oughts" and "shoulds" and "musts" lately, I thought I'd try to following exercise.

I give myself permission to:

1. Buy warm cycling clothes.
2. Love my body.
3. Not like my job.
4. Like my job sometimes, too.
5. Spend time with friends.
6. Eat dessert.
7. Not eat dessert.
8. Go to bed early.
9. Wake up late.
10. Be mean.
11. Write for pleasure instead of for school.
12. Put aside my worry for a night or two.
13. Make spontaneous weekend plans.
14. Buy books that aren't on my syllabus.
15. Watch movies.
    
16. Forget about my sorrows once in a while.
17. Write to old friends even though I feel guilty about staying out of touch.
18. Disagree with my husband about Joni Mitchell's music.
19. Splurge for a manicure.
20. Leave some food on my plate.
    

So that's twenty to begin with. And here's to the slackening of standards!