5 Vices I Get To Keep (Sweet!)

“Oooooh….” ~ that’s my kind of dog. Photo by David R. Farmer, WANA Commons

I read a post on vices the other day that made me feel so much better! I just had to share my fabulous find with my posse here at More Cowbell. 🙂

I mean usually, I console myself that my husband picks up my slack and helps me look like the “organized, responsible person” I long to be, but this post told me maybe I’m not doing so bad on my own.

You see, I’m, um…kinda dreamy.

I remember important stuff…someday. Really. But usually I forget it for a while first.

I’m not the only creative I’ve ever met who’s like this. We all have a tendency to go:

Ooooooh, SHINY!!

I compensated for this by marrying my husband. You see, in my marriage, I’m the Jack Russell terrier  and my husband is the Border Collie. He very subtly and steadily keeps me moving in the right direction, while I zig-zag along the path and look at the cool flowers.

Still, I sometimes wish that my brain was built in that linear, detail-directed kind of way. Sometimes I wish I was more organized and less forgetful.

I read this post on such a day and suddenly I felt loads better.

Apparently, these 5 habits (that I excel at) are pretty great vices to have.

1. Splurging
Money doesn’t bring you lasting happiness, but there’s no denying the rush of a splurge. For me, the splurge is usually Starbucks.

[see next vice….]

2. Drinking Caffeine
Research shows that a reasonable amount of coffee does you more good than harm. Not only is coffee no longer associated with heart disease and stroke, but it also has antioxidants. It’s been shown to fight Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer.

New research published in The Archives of Internal Medicine also found that women who drank two to three cups of coffee daily had a 15 percent lower risk of depression than those who didn’t, as the coffee helped regulate their moods. (Ya think?)

If coffee isn’t your thing, other caffeine sources are just as good. Various studies have shown that caffeine increases memory, detoxes the liver, increases stamina during exercise and fights Alzheimer’s.

3. Zoning Out
Dreaminess may actually be associated with good “working memory.” A study published in the journal Psychological Science found that people with more working memory have a greater tendency to drift off when the task at hand doesn’t use all of their attention.

Working memory is your ability to remember many different things at once. Working memory accounts for that experience of “being on autopilot,” thinking of one thing while doing another-like commuting all the way home and not remembering the trip. It’s also been associated with measures of intelligence such as IQ and reading comprehension.

So, the next time someone claps, snaps or shouts to get your attention, remind them you’re actually demonstrating your intelligence.

4. Chocolate
The Daily Beast compiled 11 different research-supported reasons that chocolate (especially dark chocolate) benefits your health:

• Eating 45 grams (about two bars) or more of chocolate per week reduces your risk of stroke, thanks to the dessert’s antioxidants.
• One weekly serving of chocolate prevents blood clots.
• A compound found in chocolate may prevent the growth of cancerous cells. It can lengthen your life: The oldest woman on record lived 122 years and ate 2.5 pounds of chocolate per week.

Nifty, huh?

And finally…

5. Being Lazy About Your Money
Budgeting experts recommend automatic payments for fixed expenses like rent or savings contributions. By bypassing your checking account, you aren’t tempted to spend it somewhere else. Plus, you avoid all those late charges.

Do YOU share any of my vices? Do you see them as a negative or a positive? How do you compensate for your “not so great” areas? Enquiring minds always want to know these things here at More Cowbell!

Jenny