Posted on April 4, 2023

According to Dictionary.com, luxury is a material object, service, etc., conductive to sumptuous living, usually a delicacy, elegance, or refinement of living rather than a necessity. I must say that I like the idea of elegance and refinement of living. Although I choose to and delight in living a simple life, it is by no means without luxury. There are certain things that I truly savor and bring me an inordinate amount of pleasure.

When I began writing poetry, a dear friend gifted me with a lovely notebook and a pack of Ticonderoga pencils. The pencils are a great combination of color and softness, and the much used erasers don’t leave marks on the page. About the same time I read an article on little splurges that mentioned uniball Jetstream pens. Since I was a flight attendant at the time, I felt compelled to buy them. All the reviews were true. After years of using cheap pens from hotel rooms, I was so pleased with the smooth flow of ink across the page while writing in my gratitude journal. I had quickly turned into a pen and pencil snob.

Anyone who knows me knows how I love a hot beverage, enough to write a haiku about it.

Savor that first sip

Sit quietly and notice

Blessings of the day

As I’m savoring that first sip, if I’m at home in my nest, I’ll be drinking from one of 4 mugs. Each of these has been carefully chosen and gifted to me by a friend. I’ve actually assigned seasons to them, drinking out of one for all of spring then switching to another one for summer, and so on. Each morning it’s a subtle reminder of my friendship with the person who gave me the mug, just one of my many blessings.

One my favorite things to do at the state fair is to look at all the pottery. I appreciate the beauty of the various designs while commenting to a friend about uses for them. Some mugs are designated for hot cider, some for hot chocolate, this bowl is for chili, that pan for cornbread, etc. Most of the time I can do this and walk away empty handed. This last autumn was different. While stopping to admire a different design, instead of thinking that a certain bowl would be good for oatmeal, I decided that the bowl would be good for my oatmeal. It not only looked pretty, it felt right in my hands, and was large enough to accommodate all the sprinkles that are stirred in. Life is better with sprinkles, and there’s a chance that my breakfast even tastes better in this hand made bowl.

My definition of luxury would be anything that causes you to savor a moment, that stirs up gratitude. I also think that luxuries are like blessings in that the more you look for them the more you notice. What luxuries have you been enjoying? I’d be delighted to read your comments.