You ever lay your eyes on an item and say to yourself,

“I’ve got to have this.”

No matter the cost.

Those were the words that passed through my mind when I saw the below journal in Books-a-Million book store on a random trip.

Interestingly, I was in another book store a few months back. I was on the prowl to replace a journal that I had just written the last entry in. One of my line sister’s had gifted me the journal. It wasn’t a birthday gift or anything to do with our sorority bond. It was a thoughtful, “just because” gift. And that fact made me like the journal even more.

Coming to the end of the journal was emotional. Not just because of what I was writing that day, and what I had written over the three years since I had received the journal. But it was not lost on me that I was connected to the journal because of the kindness associated with the gift.

Side Note: My love language in receiving gifts. So, I am extra stoked when someone gives me something unexpectedly.

Anyway, I decided I wanted to replace the journal to hold on to that feeling. But when I got to the bookstore and spotted the price of $39, I was put off. Now, it probably didn’t help that it was early January–a.k.a. New Year’s goals and resolution time. My connection to the journal was immediately lost.LOL

I think I was fooling myself with the idea that I could duplicate the emotional reaction of someone else me giving something by buying it for myself.

Nevertheless, purchasing the journal(the same $39 price of the other journal) that I desired for myself filled me with its own feeling of love and appreciation.

Self-love and self-appreciation.