(Not So) Guilty Pleasures

Okay. So I know normally people keep their guilty pleasures to themselves. You know, the things they like to do that maybe they don’t want anyone to know about, or maybe feel ashamed of. Or they think others will think they’re weird if they find out.  

Well, I have two guilty pleasures and I want to proudly share them with you. 

One is reality TV.  In the past year I’ve rekindled my love for The Bachelorette. It had been 6 years since I watched it.  I remember missing the first twenty minutes of an episode because I was at work and this is before PVR existed (at least in my world) and I was so upset that I missed it.  I felt pretty lame. And what I realized was that I couldn’t live with that kind of disappointment over a TV show. So I stopped watching it. I didn’t like the attachment I was feeling. 

But something about the new bachelorette intrigued me and I asked Deryk if we could just watch a few minutes. 

I loved it. 

And then I got into Bachelor In Paradise, when I honestly thought I had no interest in watching something I thought would be way too much drama. But I loved it too. I’m such a sucker for the search to love and now I think I’m hooked for life.  

And Deryk and I watch it together.  The deal is I massage his back and he’ll watch it with me.  So he lies over my lap. And it’s actually helping our relationship.  We laugh and snuggle and talk about some serious things. Like our wedding. So it’s the time we spend to make sure our relationship is okay. It’s one of the ways that we’re staying strong. 

And I was kind of afraid to admit this to my friends. But I’ve learned to accept that I don’t need to feel embarrassed for having this indulgence.  

Some people look at watching TV as wasted time. And I kind of used to be one of them. And then I met Deryk. And I realized that I don’t have to always be doing something. He enjoys downtown with the TV and I like to work on projects and could honestly live without the television. But we started watching shows together as a way to stay connected. He wanted me to slow down and find more balance with my down time.

So now I think differently about TV.

My other guilty pleasure is reading magazines. I love House and Home magazine or Canadian living is a good one. Magazines are indulgent for me because I don’t generally like to take the time to read magazines when I could be reading a self help book.  I’ve often felt like I could be doing something way more productive. 

And then I realized that some of my ideas come from magazines. I’m inspired by the pictures I see and the stories I read so I shouldn’t feel guilty for sitting and reading what some people call mindless reading. 

Honestly, now I don’t feel guilty for indulging in either. 

It’s okay if we have things that we enjoy spending our time doing that might not benefit our career or move our life forward.  I don’t always have to be strategizing or planning.  I’ve learned this. I’ve learned to relax. And it feels more balanced. 

So if you have a guilty pleasure I encourage you to keep enjoying it. 

But let go of the guilt. 

If you’re not hurting anyone, then enjoy it fully.  It’s a perfect way to live in the moment. 

Let’s be proud of who we are and what we’re accomplishing in this life, quirky habits or not. 

Much Love,

Sandy xo