Guilty Pleasures; I’m A Fan

If it brings you joy can it be that bad?  The short answer is yes. If it’s too much gambling, drinking or excessive porn it can definitely bring you trouble. But all work and no play is a real thing too. Let’s be honest, there is a tinge of excitement when you’re doing something that you know you’re not supposed to do and are getting away with it.

As the monotony of this pandemic has worn on. I’ve really had to consider ways to break up my day. Meeting friends at a wine bar after work, eating out, having dinner parties, joining friends at regularly scheduled monthly meetings kept me going. All these felt pleasurable and I’ve really missed them. I’ve been forced to consider pleasures right here at home.  Right here from my home office, my home movie theatre, my home restaurant. So. Much. Home. 

So what are those things that make me feel like I’m getting away from my to-do list. I like watching The Bachelor, eating raw cookie dough or playing too much of an online word game called Boggle. The Bachelor and eating cookie dough are fairly benign.  I know all about the raw egg thing but I don’t care. I want cookie dough.  And The Bachelor is just a silly escape from my own life, and apparently, I’m not alone. I started watching it with my daughter when she was in high school – she’s long since quit and rolls her eyes at me – but I don’t care. 

I think Boggle can be a helpful distraction. Sometimes when I’m stuck on a project or computer problem, I step away and get in a few rounds. It clears my mind and then I return less frustrated. The problem for me is checking too often. It becomes a bit compulsive. I won’t let myself download any more games on my phone because I know how I am.

Drinking is a guilty pleasure but one that can cross over into too much wine for me. Then I have to set up boundaries which makes it far less fun. The bottom line is that finding great guilty pleasures has been tougher this last year. I’m honestly looking so forward to going back to those things that used to bring simple pleasure without me really even realizing it.

Do you have any guilty pleasures? I’m looking for some new ones!