It was about 5:00 p.m. on a Friday, I was straightening up and winding down the day. In walked a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. She had come in to treat herself to one of our faux leather totes she had seen in our window (she had assumed it was going to be a a couple hundred bucks instead of $65 and had set a date to come in and splurge on herself).
As we got to talking she began to explain to me why she had waited to come and why she likes to treat herself on Fridays. As a young girl she had attended boarding school and been close with a girl there who's mother left a lasting impression on her. This woman was a southern belle who had gotten pregnant at 16. Her family had given her the ultimatum to either get rid of the baby or be disowned. She chose the latter and got on a bus to Washington D.C. and became a secretary. She managed to establish a life there and make enough to support herself and her baby, a somewhat unusual accomplishment for a woman/mother to be self-made and single back in the 60's. On Fridays if she had a hot date she would leave work a little early, go get a manicure and pedicure and a new outfit or something to snazz up her wardrobe. This ritual of her friends mom treating HERSELF left a lasting impression on this woman and to this day she makes it a point to do the same for herself on occasion.
I have written in the past about sometimes giving yourself a treat and finding it empowering to get something new that you feel expresses who you are and makes you feel good. What do you think? Do you agree? Is there a woman you remember from your childhood that left a lasting impression? I would love to hear about it!
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