Vas-y! Go ahead!

I might have already touched on this subject, but it is so important that I will risk redundancy. The trend, so far, is that every new lesson that I learn in Paris surpasses all of those previous, which makes the latest no exception. For the past two months, I have progressively changed my habits to accommodate a Parisian lifestyle. The slightest alteration to my former routines seemed like radical gestures then, however now I realize how small my steps have been. “Small,” “incrementally,” or “gradually” are actually a wonderful adjectives that enabled me to come as far as I feel today. Ironically, I will look back at this moment in perhaps a week, or two, and similarly feel as if I had not even begun to loosen up yet! Regardless of what I may or may not believe in the future, right now, I am convinced that I am more flexible than I can ever recall being in the past. Then again, I imagine that I was a relatively laid-back infant, as long as I was fed, rested and loved. What an amazing lifestyle that must have been, by the way, although I tragically cannot recall a single detail! Let me re-orient myself, because I seem to have veered off course, so please excuse my nostalgic indulgence.
Sticking to the theme of indulgence, I have envied my friends and family members for the longest time, who are capable of literally taking-care of themselves! What does that mean, exactly, and how have I lived nearly 22 years without this basic survival instinct, well, believe me, it is possible! I am still alive, hence, I have sufficiently survived, and however, I would argue that I wasn’t always exactly living the entire time. Allow me to explain what I mean by “living,” because I now define the term slightly different. Life is not all about pleasure, of course, and yet, it is fundamentally tied to humanity! Put rather bluntly, why habitually deprive yourself of butter and refined sugar, when an occasional croissant aux chocolat will not harm you, and will only make you smile!?
“Selfishness”, despite its egotistical connotations, is fundamentally human, not to mention that it is not actually as evil as it sounds! You do not need a reason to stumble into a boulangerie with a friend because you are craving something sweet, nonetheless, you innately do, because you are a human, or are you not? I would argue that if you do not occasionally permit yourself minor “infractions” to your dietary regime, than you are skipping the “living” bit, typically associated with being a human being!
Food’s universality makes it an easy example to explain the mentality, which is incrementally replacing my formerly rigid one. Yes, there will be times for abstinence and deprivation, but the next occasion when you eye a dessert in a store window, think twice about exactly why you aren’t slowing down. It is possible that your rational stems from similarly self-denial tendencies that could use correction, as well. Besides, if you don’t start to appreciate yourself, then why with others ever follow suit?!