I’ve never believed that tripe about virtue being its own reward. To me, one of the saddest things about this world is that if you don’t get things done, eventually someone will come along and tell you what a lazy and/or incompetent ass you are, but getting things done usually doesn’t earn you so much as a thank you. There’s always criticism and rarely approbation. That’s why we have to make our own rewards.
It was a long day for me. I started working as soon as I got up. After working a full day, I went downstairs, cleaned and unpacked in the kitchen, and did a couple of loads of laundry. Then I made and ate dinner, which I followed up with a long session of thank-you note writing. It’s after 10:30 now and I’m only just now taking a break. Does anyone say, “Good for you, and you did it all while hauling around a growing baby!”? Of course not. And that’s why I found my own small personal reward for the day, buttered raisin-bread toast. Yummy.