We interrupt our regularly schedule programming (I know…I know…I haven’t written in a long time) to bring you this unabashed, bald-faced fangirl squee.

It’s been a rough couple months. It feels like every day there’s more news of a bombing or a shooting. There seems to be no end to the violence and hatred. And if that weren’t enough to bring a person down, I’ve been having a harder time being home all day. It’s draining and isolating.

So a couple weeks ago, my husband told me that I should take an entire Sunday afternoon to be selfish. To do whatever I wanted. He would do whatever it took to make that possible.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I went nuts. I bought the special Star Trek issue of Time magazine. I saw a movie by myself at the Music Box Theater. I didn’t do any chores: no tidying, no dealing with Abhimanyu, no running the sterilizer, no laundry. I spent a good chunk of time playing Wind Waker.

My husband took a very active role in this afternoon of selfishness. He prevented me from giving in to the urge to complete domestic tasks. He went on a candy and latte run. In fact! The coffee place next door was closed, so he asked me if I was “prepared to answer in the most selfish way possible,” and, as a result, went to the Starbucks down the street to get the latte.

It was really, really nice. It was nice to get everything I wanted. And it was even nicer to realize that it wasn’t actually very much. It was being thought of. It was letting go of being anything to anyone other than myself to me.

I’m really lucky. Such an afternoon of luxurious self indulgence isn’t possible for everyone who needs it. SELF CARE IS SO IMPORTANT. But without people to support you, to make it possible for you to take the time you need to renew yourself and feel like a human being, it goes by the wayside so easily.

But I implore you, take some time for yourself. Take a nap. Go for a walk. Sit outside in the summer. Take a bath. Do something for you and you alone. It probably won’t be very much. And if you need it, ask for help to make it happen. But make it happen. It’ll feel better than you might realize.