Are You a Pleasure Procrastinator?

According to this article in the New York Times, I am. Currently, I have unused gift cards for Target, Nordstrom, Macy's, Fleming's, Brewvies, and a facial at a local day spa. I even have one for a tattoo that my friends gave me for my 34th birthday (please don't do the math!). I've written about my problem before here.

I also have a bottle of my favorite champagne stored in my basement. Champagne doesn't get better with age, what the hell am I waiting for? Honestly, I don't know, but I think it has something to do with waiting for that perfect reason to celebrate. I wish I could tell you that a hoarded bottle of booze is the worst symptom of my disorder but sadly it's not. For nearly a decade I've been using a credit card to accrue miles for that perfect beach vacation. I have the miles now but still haven't planned the vacation!

I've always been this way. I opened my first savings account when I was thirteen and didn't make a single withdrawal until I bought a car after I turned sixteen and got my drivers license. I've thought this was my own little brand of crazy for years now but the New York Times article suggests that I'm not alone.

So, one of my New Year's resolutions will be to seize the day! I'm drinking that bubbly (maybe this weekend), laying out all those gift cards as a reminder to use them, and planning that long overdue vacation to a sunny place where cabana boys bring me cocktails. Please tell me that I'm not alone and that some of you do this too!

"I realized that my favorite books about marriage — Calvin Trillan's “About Alice” and Joan Didion’s “Year of Magical Thinking” — included one spouse who was dead."

That is a quote from Elizabeth Weil's article 'Married (Happily) With Issues' in a recent New York Times magazine article. If you missed it, click here. Savor the article with a cup of coffee or wine, for it is long, but well worth the investment of your time. Weil's writing drew me in immediately with her sharp wit and humorous tales about her relationship. Plus, she quoted several of my favorite writers and their works. Writing like this inspires me.

Modern Love - NY Times Series

Have you seen any of these columns? The New York Times has a collections of columns called Modern Love. Last Sunday, this column ran and I thought it was so touching and beautiful that I wanted to share it. Layng Martine Jr. describes his relationship with his wife before and after the car accident that left her a paraplegic. Perhaps I'm more of a romantic than I typically admit to but reading this made me think that for better or worse never rang more true.