27/04/2026
We often say, “I'm going to treat myself,” and we mean by eating cake with extra icing, by booking a weekend away; by buying a new pair of shoes.
We talk about indulgence as if it’s the only language our tired hearts understand. We throw glitter at the ache, sugar at the silence.
But rarely do we say, “I'm going to treat myself kindly.” With soft mornings and no guilt. With patience when I forget, and grace when I fall short. We forget that gentleness is a gift too; that rest is not earned like a badge, but granted. Not in exchange for doing, but simply for being.
Maybe the real treat is not the cake, but the way we speak to ourselves after a long day. Maybe it's not the getaway, but the way we stand our ground and keep our faith when things get hard.
Maybe kindness is the sweetest thing we keep forgetting to serve ourselves: keep forgetting to treat ourselves to.
Yes, treat yourself to the cake, and the holiday and the shoes.
But make sure they're not a substitute...
for treating yourself with love.
*****
Becky Hemsley 2025
Beautiful artwork by Claudia Tremblay
This is a newer poem, but there are more like this in my collections 'Letters from Life' and 'Words to Remember'
