TREAT YOURSELF well, LOVE YOURSELF more

"Treat

yourself well and love yourself more."

This very simple yet, oh so profound statement, came to me while I sat on a bench enjoying the cool shade a tree at Thanksgiving Point Gardens...one of my favorite places.

This summer as I am inching my way to my 50th birthday, I have been fulfilling a list of favorite things (5o of them) to celebrate this mile stone. {Someone once said that 50 is the new 30...haha I wish they would tell my feet that.... :S }anyway this summer I have been racing down the Alpine slide, eating seafood dinners spending hours at the pool and enjoying , when possible, this life I have been given. Why leave it to just one day, right?( next up, the zip line)

Today I decided to treat myself to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point. Amazing place.!

I went early as to catch the morning breezes and to avoid the crowds. I kicked off my birkenstocks and stepped off the pathway and walked barefoot in the grass..a simple pleasure of mine. The Grass was still cool and damp, it refreshed my soul/sole.

As I wandered quietly through the gardens, stopping to enjoy my favorite venues, I was noticing how the hazy morning sunbeams dusted the plants with light. Beautiful! I went on snapping pictures and relished in this morning all to myself. After about an hour, I decided to sit in a quiet grove and take it all in from a seated point of view, my thoughts went scampering off...

"Ah, if only I could start each day like this, in a huge beautiful garden....of my own" Then, I am afraid to admit, they (thoughts) started to run away . I sat there thinking of all those things I wished I had, all those things I wished I could experience, all those things I denied myself ..etc etc it was like a runaway train. Luckily my thought pattern was brought to an abrupt stop. "Brenda, just enjoy this moment, treat yourself to this moment".

I began to feel rather foolish for spoiling a wonderful morning which I was blessed with. I knew there were others in far away places facing war and hunger and all manner of ick! And I was here in a peaceful garden complaining quietly of things I didn't have or felt worthy of having.

This morning venture was indeed a treat! .

I wondered how many times we/I forgo treating ourselves to happy things. Not feeling deserving, no time, no umpf, life and it's demands dictates that such things are frivolous and selfish. I can't imagine who would want us to feel that way..can you?

But if we don't fill our joy buckets, who will, if we don't make time to nurture ourselves , who will...who said that we need to put ourselves last? Who said we can't treat ourselves every now and then? Who says?

My lesson started with someone speaking to my soul, " It is not a sin to treat yourself or to desire the joyful things of life, things that will gladden the heart." God wants us to be filled, to be a "Full Human Being" ,to reach out to the risk of living with both arms. Embrace the world.'( Morris West)

President Uctdorf, in his general conference address, talked about how we as children of God live below our privileges...now this is not in some commercial, superficial way. But in a "we forget that God has oodles in store for us, let me do this for you , My TREAT: sort of way". We feel like we are not worthy, or need to work hard for it, pay for it, wait until tomorrow for it.... and we stop the hand that wishes to bless.

When you have been asked to a dinner by a friend and they say, "I will get this, my treat" how do you respond? Think about it.

This is about where that pround statement came in ( above mentioned) Treat yourself..don't deny the joy, reach for it, but also treat yourself WELL..with respect, like you would a cherished loved one...and love more..you know that game.."Love you!"..(reply) "LOVE you MORE" Say it in the mirror!

Now that my lesson under the tree was finished and I felt resolved that I would go forward with a new mindset, I sauntered back up the hill, went to the Trellis cafe. I asked for a patio view( outside) and ordered , not the cheapest thing on the menu, but what I desired. I was going to show Heaven in a symbolic and hunger driven way that I was no longer going to deny myself that what brings me joy. I would treat myself as if I were my best friend.

I topped it off with a chocolate souffle' served with orange anglaise and almonds!

Sitting under my umberella'd table, I said " Brenda, you're one heck of a gal, you deserve it!" lifting my blackberry lemonade, "Happy Birthday and thanks for the Treat!"