#2655 self-care Saturday

I promised myself that I wouldn’t let Christmas overwhelm me, like it sometimes has in the past. Most of the gift shopping is done, which is great, even though there is always a bit of anxiety: Will my people like what I give them? Did I spend too much? Not enough? Are my people expecting more? I have worked to let those thoughts go over the past few years, but sometimes the thoughts linger anyway, don’t they?

With only a bit of buying left to do for MT and T, I decided to take this morning, the week before Christmas, to do something for myself. I woke up fairly early, took a nice shower, gave myself a much-needed facial mask, moisturized thoroughly, then dressed in warm layers for an outing.

First stop, Les Madeleines for a Kouign-amann and coffee, specifically a mocha Madelienes - a mocha made with dark chocolate; it is not as sweet and is a bit more rich than a regular mocha. Unfortunately, the cafe doesn’t offer indoor seating, and the outdoor seating has been put away for the season, so I had to get my breakfast to go. The KA is too flaky and spectacular to eat in the car when I drive, so I had to delay my gratification. Had to take a photo of it, though:

Hello gorgeous

Next stop was my beloved Red Butte Garden. One of my goals is to have breakfast at Les Madeleines and to take a walk at RBG at least once a month. I missed November for some reason, so I am recommitting myself starting today! 

We had a pretty good snowstorm on Tuesday night and the Garden had a nice, heavy white blanket of the stuff on the ground. The path was well-plowed, though, and I had no problem walking around this winter wonderland. 

Clear path 

Frozen waterfall and pond

I sure don’t want to sit here right now

Feeling happy and warm

I felt like I was the only person there. The only thing I could hear was snow falling off the branches, thankfully not on my head! I did see some people as I neared the visitor center, but overall, I had a great time walking around by myself and enjoying the peace, quiet, and beauty of this special place. 

On my way back down the hill, my coffee had cooled enough that I could enjoy the rich chocolate and coffee flavor, so that worked out nicely, too. I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up a couple of things. It wasn’t as crazy in the store as I thought it might be, so that was good.

I got back home in time to enjoy my delayed breakfast pastry, even though the coffee was long gone. It was delicious, of course, and then it was time for book club. We discussed the last third of the book The Sentence by Louise Erdrich, a book I recommended and that I am glad to say most everyone really liked, myself included. We have one more book to finish off the year, Sula by Toni Morrison. It is a quick read that was referenced in The Sentence. 

After all that me-time, I felt relaxed and happy and ready to face shopping at an actual store. I’m happy to say that my Christmas shopping is now complete! At least for gifts. I still have grocery shopping to do for the meal, but all of that will be included in my regular shopping, anyway, so no big deal.

Are you enjoying your weekend? Are you taking the time to take care of yourself?