Today's Tarot: Nine of Cups (pleasure, joy, satisfaction)

Ah, the Happy Merchant. That's what I always think of when I see this card. This is someone who is just pleased as punch and has worked hard enough to be darned self-satisfied.

Today is a day not only to rest on your laurels but if you can, take the time to bathe in 'em. Wait, that might be scratchy. Never mind. Here, instead of bathing in your laurels, treat yourself to something wonderful. It might be a five-minute foot rub. It might be a frothing bubble bath while you drink a glass of wine and Mozart plays in the background. It might be a cone of your favorite ice cream, or a swim, or a walk in the sunshine.

Indulge. Pamper yourself (or better yet, get someone else to do it for you). You work your patootie off all the time, every day. There's nothing wrong with slowing down, even for a minute, and just taking a huge, deep breath, and patting yourself on the back for a job well done. Even if you aren't feeling particularly satisfied with how well you've been doing/working/living (for whatever reasons), I still encourage you to pat yourself on the back. The worst we have to deal with is the worst we have to deal with. Each life and each set of circumstances is entirely unique and that means that comparing our lives to anyone else's is not only futile but can be downright depressing. And what's the good in that?

So today, make yourself a promise. Work on you. walk in your shoes. Live your life and no one else's. If you must compete, do so only with yourself. And at the end of today (and every day) congratulate yourself on a job well done. Today, even if you end the day not have achieved or accomplished what you set out to achieve or accomplish, you will have done the very best you could for where you were and how you felt. That counts for a whole lot.