These Humble Luxuries

Gratitude for the here and now

I went to Hawaii once and brought back a bag of really delicious (and very expensive) macadamia flavored coffee. I tucked it into a cupboard for a sometime-in-the-future-very-special-day. I made a cup once and enjoyed it but then felt crushed by this feeling of scarcity and the realization that I’d likely never be able to buy this luxury again and tucked it back into the cupboard. It was so expensive. I’d treated myself to it - it was a luxury I couldn’t afford to waste. It had to be saved until something, or some moment that would certainly come and certainly be more special than this moment right now.

Eventually, I forgot all about it and it wasn’t until I was packing up to move out of my apartment a year later that I discovered the little tin of coffee. I’d believed this treat too expensive to waste - and ended up not being able to enjoy it at all.

How many times do we put off enjoyment because of some perceived scarcity or belief that we’d be wasting our money or time on something we enjoy? Saving both dollars and minutes for some far off in the future day when we can actually relax.

How many times do we lose sight of the humble luxuries present in the every day because we’re focused on some uncertain but definitely ‘special’ future moment?

Turns out - the real currency is the here and now. Don’t save your pretty plates for “some day” when some day isn’t a guarantee. There is plenty to be enjoyed and delighted in, right here, right now.

This perspective shift has brought so much more enjoyment into my daily living. I wear the pretty dress when I’m cooking dinner. We sip tea out of the pretty mugs. The expensive coffee is enjoyed until it is gone. Focusing on what is present now, allows worry to slip off my shoulders, forgotten.

Yes, sometimes tomato sauce stains the pretty dress and gorgeous handmade mugs get chipped or broken. All signs of a life enjoyed, a life lived. Yes, sometimes the humble luxuries are pretty humble (cinnamon sprinkled over toast or just a second cup of tea, savored) but they are luxurious all the same.

I no longer talk myself out of enjoying these little luxuries. Instead, I relish them. I delight in them. I get that latte on a random Thursday afternoon and sit in the cafe holding it with both hands, content in the moment and the luxury of being here.

Humble Luxuries I Already Have

1. A cup of warm tea

2. The warmth of sunlight through the window

3. Fresh sheets and blankets on the bed

4. A deep breath of crisp, cold air on a wind-free day

5. The flicker of candlelight in the evening

6. Reading stories together on the sofa

What humble luxuries bring you joy and contentment? What small experiences have you missed by not being present? Can you give yourself permission to enjoy the little things?

If you can, I promise that a sweet layer of gratitude will seep into every corner of your life, making everything a little more interesting and a little more gentle.

And in gratitude for you, my readers - I’d like to give you the gift of music by sharing this curated playlist with you. I made this Ordinary Magic playlist to accompany you on the days where everything is perfectly ordinary. For writing, or doing the dishes, for tidying the living room or enjoying a cup of tea. A good playlist is a humble luxury in its own way! Thank you so much for you continued presence and support.