In a world where every influencer has the latest miracle supplement or detox cleanse to sell, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out on the secret to eternal youth. There’s always some “life-changing” advice claiming you need to eat kale, drink mushroom tea, ice-bathe at sunrise, and journal your way into immortality. But let me let you in on a little family secret: my grandfather, who lived to be ninety-two, drank a milkshake and a Coke every single day. Lunch and dinner sometimes. I know. According to all the experts, this is basically the nutritional equivalent of cliff-jumping. But guess what? He lived a long and joyful life, laughing his way through it.
When he hit his eighties, something shifted. He just stopped caring about what everyone else thought he should be doing. After eight decades on this planet, he figured he’d earned the right to enjoy his life without guilt. If that meant eating like a teenager who just got their first part-time job at Dairy Queen, so be it. My grandma tried to talk him out of it, but eventually she gave up. I think she realized that if he made it that far on a diet of pure happiness, why mess with it now?
Watching him indulge guilt-free really made me think. Do I want a milkshake every day? Not really. But I definitely have a few “naughty” things that bring me outsized joy — even if they don’t fit the picture of perfect health. And it was strangely refreshing to watch someone enjoy something just because it tasted good, not because it had twelve grams of protein and a probiotic count in the billions.
For me, it’s my iced coffee. I’ve tried to quit caffeine more times than I care to admit, fully aware that I’m supposed to be sipping herbal tea like some serene wellness guru. But here’s the truth: I love my iced coffee. Starbucks, every morning. It’s like a little hug in a cup, a tiny ceremony that signals my day can officially begin. Sure, it’s not the cheapest habit. And yes, I’ve read the articles about how caffeine will disrupt my aura and turn me into a jittery gremlin. But mornings simply wouldn’t be the same without it. It brings me joy. And life is too short to pretend that warm lemon water is going to scratch the same itch.
As for sweets and alcohol? I could take them or leave them. But that iced coffee? That’s my milkshake. It’s the thing I look forward to, the thing that makes everything feel just a little more doable. I’ll even admit I look forward to the quiet moment in the car after school drop-off when I take that first sip and feel like, Okay. I can do today.
Food-wise, I try to stay somewhat balanced. I love a good salad with some protein, but I’m also completely obsessed with Trader Joe’s spicy chips. And yes, I sprinkle those right on top of my healthy salad. Does this cancel out the whole salad? Probably. Does it make me happy? Absolutely. And a joyful mom is a better mom, every single time.
Maybe for you it isn’t iced coffee at all. Maybe it’s fresh flowers at the farmers’ market — the kind you usually admire but talk yourself out of because they ‘aren’t necessary.’ But if those $7 sunflowers make your kitchen feel brighter or make you feel brighter, that’s reason enough. Joy doesn’t always come from big milestones or perfectly planned moments. More often, it lives in the tiny indulgences we finally allow ourselves to say yes to.
There will always be someone ready to lecture you about seed oils, inflammation, or the forty-seven better chip options you “should” try instead. But I’m not interested in turning every snack into a research project. Give me my iced coffee and my spicy chips and I’ll keep living my best life. There’s enough stress in the world without adding guilt over one small, happy-making thing.
Because here’s the truth we don’t say out loud enough: everyone has their own version of a milkshake. Maybe you run five miles a day but absolutely need your nightly chocolate chip cookies. Maybe fresh flowers from the farmer’s market make you feel like you live in your own cozy cottage movie. Maybe you budget like a responsible adult but splurge on designer jeans because they make you feel fabulous in a way Target denim simply can’t. We all have that one thing that feels indulgent and comforting and deeply ours.
The point isn’t to be perfect in every area of your life. It’s to recognize what genuinely brings you joy and allow yourself to have it. A little daily delight can shift your whole mood, your whole perspective. Sometimes it even helps you stick to the healthier habits because you don’t feel deprived or restricted.
So this is your official permission slip to embrace the stuff that lights you up. Be a little “bad” sometimes. Have the thing that makes you feel like life is still sweet and fun and yours. Because life is too short to live without your milkshake.