I would see other women carrying bouquets and feel a little sting. Not because I was jealous. Because I wanted to feel like someone thought of me like that.

So I waited. And waited. And most days, no one came.

One afternoon I was at the market and I saw the most beautiful peonies, pink and full and almost too heavy for their stems. I stood there for a minute and then I bought them. I carried them home in my own hands and put them in a vase on my kitchen table, and I stared at them for a long time. They were for me from me, and here is the thing. They made me just as happy as if someone else had given them.

That was the day I stopped waiting for someone to make my life beautiful because I decided to do it myself. Now I buy flowers whenever I want, sometimes because I am happy, sometimes because I am sad, and sometimes because I walked past something pretty and decided I deserved it. Do I still want a man to buy me flowers someday? Of course. But I refuse to sit around feeling unloved just because no one has done it yet.

When was the last time you treated yourself to something just because you deserved it? And why did you wait so long? Tell me all about it. I'd love to hear you!

Olga👄