Permission

I gave myself permission not to write a blog post today.

Not to sweat bullets trying to please Google and its SEO gods. Not to stare at a deadline. Not to make myself sit down and WRITE SOMETHING because Tuesday had arrived and that’s what I’m supposed to do.

Writing a blog can be stressful. Mostly because of the deadline.

I like to get these things written ahead of time, but this week—pfft. Didn’t happen.

So today I gave myself permission to let it go.

I figured, would anyone even notice?

And look what I’m doing.

I’m writing a blog post.

But it feels completely different knowing I don’t have to do it. Somehow giving myself permission not to write took it out of the realm of chore and put it back into the realm of something I wanted to do.

Ha! I once wrote an entire post about how you don’t need permission to get started.

Go figure.

Right now I’m writing this on the back deck of the new studio, bundled up in a sweatshirt on a chilly, overcast day and enjoying the lingering bliss from a midday meditation.

Meditation? In the middle of the day?

Yep.

I gave myself permission to do that, too.

Other permissions I gave myself today:

Individual walks for the dogs.

Twice as much time WASTED on a day when I had a blog post to write.

Except—I gave myself permission NOT TO WRITE IT.

So instead, the dogs got twice the mileage, twice the personal attention and a little extra training.

I gave myself permission to have a tuna sandwich with real mayo, not the tasteless low-cal crap. And I wasn’t stingy with the sweet pickle relish, either.

When the Dijon refused to come out of the squeezer, I took off the cap and stuck my finger in the jar.

Permission.

And I gave myself permission to finish the bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos that came with a heavy side of buyer’s remorse and were headed for the trash.

Until I ate them.

Looking back on the day, I have to say this is the most relaxed I’ve been while up against a deadline.

And one of the most productive.

Maybe there’s something to this.

Maybe it wasn’t the deadline stressing me out. Maybe it was that voice insisting I had to meet it.

Today I told that voice to knock it off.

I like it.

I think I’m going to give myself permission more often.

This week’s creative prompt: Give yourself permission.

Is there something on your list that’s making you stress just thinking about it?

Cut yourself some slack.

Give yourself permission not to do it.

Then see what happens.

And while we’re handing out permission—you have my permission to leave a comment. In fact I’m begging you to — since I finally got that approval/reply thing working.

Back next week–