Raise your hand if you’ve ever done any of the following things:
- Kept your fluffiest, most luxurious towels in the closet for when guests come
- Saved that fabulous cupcake mix for someone’s, anyone’s, birthday, in case you need it at the last minute
- Only worn your best lingerie for super special occasions because you don’t want to wear it out by wearing it everyday
- Rarely sat in your nicest chair because you’re afraid to spill something on it or get it dirty
- Only used your favorite, most expensive wine glasses when company comes over for dinner
Do you see where I’m going here?
We’ve all done stuff like that. I know I have.
And you know what? It’s silly!
Redefining Luxury
Why do we save our best, most favorite things for “someday”? These are the things our hearts long for. That soft cashmere blanket that’s sealed up in a plastic bag at the top of the linen closet, that silk robe we never wear in case we dribble our coffee, that fabulous journal that we’re afraid of spoiling with our dumb ideas…
These are simple luxuries that are already in our life, and yet we don’t allow them to lift us up simply because we’re saving them for “something else”.
But, imagine if we let go of that idea! Imagine if we finally took out that fancy $225 DeWalt drill and actually used it! Imagine sipping coffee on the front porch every morning in that silk robe, drying off with your fluffiest towels, and wearing your best lingerie to the grocery store.
Imagine finally popping open that expensive bottle of champagne for no other reason to celebrate a completely ordinary day.
We all have simple luxuries in our lives, luxuries that we’ve paid for. They’re waiting to give us joy. But we have to let go of the idea of “saving” them for some imaginary perfect day, and actually start using these things. That’s what they’re there for!
Keeping these special things hidden away is robbing yourself of some really happy, special moments. And, that’s a cost far higher than what you paid for that luxury item in the first place.
So, go put on that wonderful summer dress! Go open that bottle of wine, and drag out your most expensive sheets. Let them add some joy to your life. It’s just stuff, remember? It’s serving no purpose unless you use it.
{ 6 comments }
Oooh, snap. I’m e-mailing this to my mother. She has inherited something like three sets of china and still has wedding presents from the 70s that are gorgeous and have been out of the box maaaybe twice. Sadly, I want nothing to do with the china because I call first dibs on the practical things. If it’s not a useful thing daily or at least seasonally, it has nooo place in my home. Exceptions made for art. Because walls get lonely, too.
Heidi,
I hear you. I have zero nice china (we drink out of jelly jars and flea market finds!)
My small luxuries are the things like nice lingerie, fancy chocolate, and scrumptious journals. 🙂
Yeah, you’re right. I bought lots of nice new towels for when i was selling my house a few years back, but after i took it off the market, i put the towels away so they’d still be nice and new for the next time i decide to sell my house!
To my credit, i do use the good silverware i inherited from my grandmother every day. And i only polish once a year.
I <3 jelly jars! Actually, glass containers of all shapes and sizes… it’s a bit scarier now that I live with a dog that weighs as much as I do and has the most waggly tail ever, but I’m starting to instinctively put anything fragile/breakable/spillable up on surfaces that are dog-proof. Very difficult for me because I’m a floor oriented person! That said, the BEST thing my husband ever did was train his puppy (now 5 yrs old!) to think that ice cubes were treats. So 3 cubes after the morning walk, 3 cubes after the evening walk… that’s a lot of milk bones he never has to buy =) And when it’s 106 out, puppy appreciates them even more 😉
I can’t agree more…to quote Oprah – “Use your good stuff”
Great post Heather. It’s funny how people keep all of their nice things tucked safely away in their homes. We did that with our wedding china, but then decided to start using it everyday and gave away our other dish sets.
Since we want to downsize our kitchen we might donate the china. Most of it is stored at my in-law’s house because we don’t use all of it!
It’s nice to use the nice stuff and donate the unnecessary. 🙂
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