We’ve likely all been admonished by someone, or by something we have read to take care of ourselves – physically and mentally.  In that regard, the latest buzz words are self-care.  In one of my early blog posts I wrote about taking care of my vessel – my body, the ship that takes me through life – listing some of the things I do for my physical well-being.

But, what about just plain being good to ourselves – allowing ourselves to experience abundance, and creating some joy in our lives?

At any time of the year, but maybe even more so now as we head into the busyness of the holiday season, we all deserve to treat ourselves to a little luxury.  What that luxury is will be different for each person, but the idea is to experience a joyful feeling and perhaps, ease stress and its negative effects on the body.

You may think luxuries are the things in life that cost a lot of money…not necessarily so.  However, if you are so inclined and can afford it, go ahead and buy the Lamborghini if you think it will make you happy. (I don’t know if that vehicle is still made, and I don’t know if that is how you spell it – but, hopefully, you get my idea.)

Here is a list of a few things I consider luxuries and that make me happy – you see they don’t cost much…

• tossing green or black olives in my salad
• eating fresh raspberries, even if they are coming all the way from S. America at this time of year and cost $4.99 a box
• lighting a candle while I cook dinner – especially at this dark time of year!
• enjoying a “good” bottle of wine - by that I mean one that costs over the $8-10 normal limit I have for spending on a bottle
• using a new box of fluorescent colored pencils as I “create” in my adult coloring book; see a previous post about enjoying coloring like a kid again 
• indulging in one square of a dark chocolate bar for my after-lunch treat
• visiting my massage therapist every 4 weeks for an all-over body massage – ok, so this is a more expensive luxury
• drinking my tea out of a pretty china cup instead of an old mug 
• taking time for a little break – playing solitaire or Lexulous on the internet, checking the latest Facebook or Instagram posts, or coloring with my new pencils
• eating chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven – mind you, these were made from frozen dough already formed into the cookie shape, so no work on my part; AND, I am not going to eat all of these in one sitting! 

Many of us are not used to being good to ourselves.  People pleasers like myself think we need to make everyone else happy before we indulge ourselves, and therefore, may not often take time for the little things that can bring us joy.  Enjoying luxuries is a learned practice – BUT, it can be done and the rewards are great!

I’d love to hear what you consider to be luxuries – AND, do you indulge in them?  Feel free to share your comments below.