It’s Alllllllllllll Good
Glamour does a series in their magazine every month about living your best life. In the column, there is a page listing things that women should not feel guilty about doing, because, hey, we all do them. Some examples are: “It’s OK if you eat a whole bag of doritos right before your period and then hide the empty bag as evidence between the couch cushions so your roommate doesn’t find them” and “It’s OK if you secretly wish that your ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend has some kind of weird STD that’s so creepy no one has even heard of it.”
I am my own biggest critic. You can ask anyone who knows me well and they will very likely confirm this. I could probably spin straw into gold, only to then feel guilty for destroying the straw. And what if someone actually wanted that straw and what if they get really pissed at me because you know, it was really good straw and only halfway decent gold and I pretty much ruined everything and no one likes me.
And though I do mock Glamour’s attempts at making women feel better about forgetting grandma’s birthday or telling your boss that you’re staying home due to a family emergency when your “family” is the beach and the “emergency” is that you want to go there, I think they’re onto something. There are so many banalities in life that we get wrapped up in that when we flub, we seldom think to tell ourselves “it’s okay.” Instead we often look to others to reassure us.
I’m as guilty of this as anyone. So right now, I’m going to come right out here and say that it’s OK to:
- -If you “forget” to recycle. We live in tiny apartments. Who has space for more than one trash can?
- -Let a Facebook friend invitation idle in your inbox, because you don’t particularly want the person as a friend, but you feel a little bad rejecting them.
- -Two words: cookie dough.
- -Skip the gym because you won’t make it home in time for Gossip Girl
- -Pretend an email slipped into your junk folder. Hey, better than the sender knowing you ignored them for three days, right?
- -Leave dishes in the sink overnight. And not have time to take care of them before you go to work on the morning so you rely on a good rinse to keep everything smelling April fresh until you can load the dishwasher later that night
- -Still be taking the Walk of Shame in your twenties. I mean, ladies, really. What are we supposed to do? Call our parents to pick us up?
- -Screen when you don’t know who’s calling. Wouldn’t whoever invented Caller ID be disappointed if he knew that it wasn’t being used to its full potential?
- -Tell a friend you already have plans on Saturday night when your “plans” really just include the couch, ice cream and whatever happens to be languishing in your TiVo.
- -Buy those shoes, that jacket or the new purse when you really can’t afford it. At least you’ll feel properly accessorized while you’re paying your bills.
Help me make this list longer. What do you think it’s OK to do?
February 27th, 2009 at 12:17 am
I have this exact post scheduled for tomorrow! This is my favorite part of the entire magazine!
February 27th, 2009 at 1:26 am
I’ve done a similar version of this in the past. A few of my favourites?
- to not enjoy texting.
- for your deepest fantasies to involve your bed- and getting 9 solid hours of sleep.
- to secretly believe you would win American Idol if you auditioned.
- to like Mondays.
- to know that not everyone is going to like you, but still be hurt when they don’t.
- to feel awkward talking to someone when they are eating a banana.
- to realize that you care a lot about the mascara running down your face when you are in the middle of a deep and ugly cry.
- to believe food tastes better when you don’t use a fork.
February 27th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Thank you for the Facebook thing! It was making me incredibly guilty a couple of weeks ago, not accepting OR rejecting a friend request.
I’d like to add to the list …it’s okay to:
- spend a few weeks (okay, 2 months!) getting over a guy that is just not that into you.
- feel disappointed that your blog posts has no comments, even though you insist that you don’t care about comments or number of readership
- binge once in a week, when you’ve been eating healthy and good for all the other six days.
=)
February 27th, 2009 at 9:31 am
Junk folders are super convenient… I admit, I’ve used that excuse a couple times too many.
February 27th, 2009 at 9:51 am
I love posts like these!
It’s ok to….mark “all as read” sometimees
…have ice cream for dinner
…no enjoy The Office, or Lost, or whatever show the water cooler is talking about
…dislike someone purely on principle
February 27th, 2009 at 10:10 am
“-Skip the gym because you won’t make it home in time for Gossip Girl ”
I purposely don’t make plans on Monday nights because of the TV lineup. I’m thinking it’s time I get a DVR, haha.
But to add to the list, it’s okay to have a Lean Cuisine for lunch, realize you’re still running, and hit the closest Burger King for some fries to snack on. (I did it yesterday, haha).
February 27th, 2009 at 11:27 am
[...] to find an idea you like on someones blog steal borrow it for your own (as long as you give due credit). Thanks to The lovely East Coast Teacher over at In Pursuit of Happily Ever After who inspired this post! *Seen again yesterday at Ummm…Now What? [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
- if you “fake it” every once in a while, when you know it just isn’t going to happen and you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.
- to play hooky from the whole world for a few hours on occassion.
- to grumble to yourself about tiny annoyances, even when you know that you won’t actually do anything about them.
February 27th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
[...] 27, 2009 I saw this over at Umm… Now what? as well as Not Your Plain Jane, so I decided to do it since I don’t really have anything [...]
February 27th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
“At least you’ll feel properly accessorized while you’re paying your bills.”
- Hahah, now that is the best. And the truth
February 27th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
It’s okay to watch what you eat monday thru thursday and pig out friday through sunday…i mean thats four days against three right? ; )
February 28th, 2009 at 1:52 am
[...] this week. You can read about pancakes, some quick tips for healthy meals - and then head over here to see why it’s “all good.” Possibly related posts: (automatically [...]
March 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
It is okay to have fries with your burger. Even though you know you should have a salad.