Dear Diary,
Here’s a question I pondered today while going in and out of some shops with a couple friends. How guilty should I feel if I go into a shop and don’t buy anything? Here are the options I am considering:
1. No guilt. You are under no obligation to buy anything.
2. A modicum of guilt. The shop owner is there to sell things. His/her business depends on people who will buy their wares. They probably die a little each time someone waltzes in the store exclaiming over how interesting or delightful things are, and then waltzes out again without having made a purchase.
3. Extreme guilt. If you have no intention of buying, you shouldn’t even enter the shop. Why get their hopes up?
Sometimes I think I should just be prepared to buy something and bless the shop owner. I’ve always been rather “frugal” (which is a much nicer word than “cheap”). When I was young, my parents gave me a modest allowance and my dad one time had to tell me that it was okay for me to spend it. So that’s the mentality I’m working with. Or with which I’m working, if I’m going to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition.
Oh dear. Guilt of overthinking things again.
I’ll probably feel varying amounts of guilt over deleting this in the morning.
Lynniebeemuseoday 
The Guilt Monster is a terrible creature. I would tell you my pick among the choices you have given us, except I would likely feel very guilty.
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