Anyway, I want to talk about something unimportant but weighs a lot in my thoughts about living the luxe life.
Years ago there was a Twitter thread which started with a question asking people what they had in their life that was luxe, or made them feel pampered. Everyday life kind of things.
Oh yay! Here's the couch!
The thread became (to me) a thread about self-care with people talking about the small things in their life which add joy. It was a silk robe, fluffy slippers, a pedicure, a charcuterie board. It was ordering a favorite tea and having a piece of art.
When I was staying at my boss' house, it felt a lot like a home from a home improvement show on HGTV, but the after the renovations are done house. It had all the small amenities, the open floor plan, the nice kitchen and baths and all that but it didn't feel especially luxe or impressive. What got me was the towels were Egyptian cotton and the softest things I've ever encountered. It was drying yourself on a cloud. And the shower curtain in the bathroom I used was gorgeous. (I wish I'd taken a picture.)
So coming home I recognized that I'll never afford a lot of things but there are small things I can give myself that are luxe and pampering and don't break the budget.
My new shower curtain (top picture). A little surprising because I'm not a frilly kind of woman but that shower curtain is soft, pretty and in a teeny bathroom, suddenly become the focal point and makes the bathroom a happier place. (There's also a real bathtub I take baths in and my self-care self is allowing me to spend a few tens to get some bath salts and bath bombs.
If I'm having fruit and cheese, I'm putting it on my version of a charcuterie board and dressing it up for myself. I have a fridge full of flavored waters to appease my sweet tooth as well as keep myself hydrated.
And I'm pushing myself to keep up my skin care because when I started using the toners and serums and brightening creams, my skin literally changed before my eyes. Cleaner, softer and brighter. It was fabulous.
But most importantly, I decided this weekend it was time to start gifting myself time. Time to sit and work on a project or read a book with no nagging of things that must get done. Everything gets done. It always does. But allowing myself the pleasure of not being on the clock: that's big and something I need to grace myself with.
So anyway, I'm going to have a second cup of coffee and then I've decided to learn to crochet. I have a hook, some yarn and You Tube videos. Carolyn is on speed dial.
Much love to all of you out there.
So glad you got the couch, I hope it's as comfortable as you deserve.
ReplyDeleteGiving oneself permission to enjoy time 'off' --just OFF, no deadlines pending, no guilt for things left to do--is the best self-care there is.
Here's to living a life with little comforts that give you joy.