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Indulge means ‘to give free rein to; to take unrestrained pleasure in; to yield to the desire of; to treat with excessive leniency, generosity, or consideration.’ (Merriam-Webster)

Years ago we took a chance when we added the word ‘indulge’ to our line of word stones. In the middle of all of our other positive, uplifting words, phrases and scripture, the word indulge felt risque, bold and self-serving.  But we were curious how it would be perceived and ran that first batch with a bit of trepidation.

Sure enough, right out of the gate, I remember going through the list of words with a customer one day on the phone.  “Yes, I’ll take Accept, Breathe, Comfort, Discover, Grace, Happiness…oh goodness, no Indulge!  Can’t have that.  That would totally be sending the wrong message…Joy, Kindness…” and the list went on.

“Can’t have that?”  Why not?  I was frustrated by her comment, but I get it.  Your order, your money, your prerogative.  Depending on why you’re buying the stones, I can understand certain circumstances would not warrant ‘indulge’ being the right choice.

But sometimes indulging oneself is good and necessary.  I think the new phrase today would perhaps be ‘self-care’.

I indulged in some self-care this morning, in fact.  I have two elementary school aged children, and getting them to school this morning was…challenging…let’s say.  Feeling frustrated and not a little bit sorry for myself, I pulled out of the school parking lot and conveniently remembered that Dunkin Donuts was just up and around the corner.  10 donut holes later and a cup of good, fresh coffee, and I was perking up for the day.  This morning I deserved those donuts, darn it!

Indulge remains in our line of word stones, and while it isn’t our most popular word, it sells enough to keep it in the line.  I’m glad.  I’m glad there is some indulgence in the world.

What is your indulgence today?