Last Year Me planted an iris bulb in the middle of a flower bed, and Last Week Me wondered, Hunh… I wonder what’s growing there next to the purple hyacinths?
I’m at an age where if I don’t write it down, it will be forgotten. (Although, if I’m being honest, I’ve always been that way, so I can’t really blame Almost-60 Me, but at least now, it makes more sense to my family. “Oh, you know, Grammy’s getting old.”) The thing, though, is that Present Me doesn’t get as hung up on the forgetting anymore, and has learned to delight in the remembering.
Showing myself kindness is still a struggle sometimes, but it’s not as bad as it used to be, when I blamed and shamed myself through life. When I think of something Future Me might appreciate, I act on it. For instance, Sunday Afternoon Me surprised Monday Morning Me by filling my pill caddy a day early. A small gesture that made waking up a little nicer.
Last fall, I bought myself a gift card for a local coffee shop and forgot about it over the winter. Last week, when I was in the mood for a latte and couldn’t scrape together the cash from my wallet, I stumbled across the gift card. Latte joy ensued!
This isn’t like finding a $20 in last year’s winter coat (although that’s fun, too) or rewarding myself for having completed a task. I’m talking about deliberately doing nice things for myself just because.
Tomorrow, tickets for the Shaun Cassidy (yes, THAT Shaun Cassidy!) concert in Pittsburgh go on sale at 10 a.m. Today Me is going to set an alarm so that Tomorrow Me will be online in time to snag a ticket because he’s been selling out in five minutes everywhere he tours. Teenage Me saw him from the nosebleed seats at the St. Paul Civic Center in 1978. Didn’t hear a thing he sang because of all the screaming, but Mature Me (and hopefully the other mature fans) will take down the volume a couple hundred notches and enjoy the show.
Don’t forget to do nice things for yourself. There’s beauty in giving, and nothing says we can’t also be the receiver.
(Fifteen-Year-Old Me is alive and well inside me! Click here to find out why.)
Lynn Haraldson, Writer 
I love the message in your blog. And I a few years older than you, so I was crazy about David Cassidy. I saw him perform in Milwaukee, and I had good seats because my mom always felt if you’re going to see someone perform sit close. As I write this, I realize that I have to thank her for those tickets because money was very tight in our house, but she splurged that day.
I loved David Cassidy, too! So glad you got to see him. And thirteen minutes ago, I bought tickets to the Shaun Cassidy concert. Second row! Swoon! I’m calling it my early 60th birthday present 🙂