I recently told my parents and their old-time friends that I would take them back to the city that we visited together 18 years ago. After all, my birthday was coming up at the time, and it would be like my special treat for them. Some of them expressed their excitement, but others showed their discomfort towards the splurging that I wanted to do. Judi Cinéas, Ph.D. and LCSW is a psychotherapist who points out that splurging should be viewed as a reward. “When working on goals, I always recommend that clients set a reward schedule,” she says. “Those rewards can include splurging on things they normally don’t get.”
In the adults’ heads, they could not believe how a 24-year-old girl could do that. They thought that it was a spur of the moment – something that I said out of the blue. They insisted that doing it was unnecessary, but I stood my ground. A week later, I booked an entire house for everyone and paid for every meal.
From my perspective, I did not make a drastic decision. I merely knew that it’s okay to splurge sometimes because:
It Feels Good To See Loved Ones Happy
I had no regret about spending a lot of money to make this trip happen because I knew it would bring joy to my parents and their friends. They have known each other ever since their kids and I were in pre-school. The last time they went out of town was when I was six years old. Hence, I knew that insisting to go on a trip with all of them would make them extremely happy. “With self-awareness and choice comes responsibility. As we understand ourselves, we become more responsible for our choices,” said Cortney S. Warren Ph.D.
It Is Like Giving Back To Aunts And Uncles
My parents’ friends acted as my real aunts and uncles while I was growing up. In case I needed help with a school project, I could call them and ask for private tutoring. If I got in trouble and my mom or dad was not around, they could stand in as my guardians in a heartbeat. That’s why it felt justifiable to give back to them by taking them to an all-expense paid vacation.
It Brings Back Old Memories
Returning to the same city where we made excellent memories could make everyone remember the good, old times. Life 18 years ago could be much different from the life we’re currently living, after all. If they have issues that they can’t seem to shake off, bringing back fantastic moments from the past can motivate them to fix or turn things around.
It Fortifies Relationships
If we are honest, knowing people for more than a decade may cause you to appreciate their existence less. You stop making an effort to meet them because you think that they will always be in your life. You seek new friends and barely say hi to the long-time ones once in a while.
However, when you go on a meaningful trip with your old friends, you can fortify your relationship with them. You will see their value in your life again, even if they don’t do anything for you. You realize that their mere existence is something to be thankful for every day.
Final Thoughts
Splurging is unacceptable if that’s all you do every day. It shows that you do not value your hard-earned money. Instead of spending it on fantastic things, you use it to buy material stuff that can become broken a few days later. The same idea cannot be said, though, if you only splurge at times and for a valid reason. As what Suzanne Degges-White Ph.D. said, “when it comes to making your choice of gifts for the people you care about or deciding to splurge on yourself, remember that the gifts you choose hold more value than just the money you ante up for them.”