Incorporating Luxury Into Your Everyday Life
luxury: /ˈlʌkʃ(ə)ri/: a pleasure obtained only rarely.
Let’s talk about it, this little word that has the power to make a conversation immediately uncomfortable. ‘I can’t afford luxury’, we’ll say, ‘I’m not wealthy’. But luxury isn’t just about flashy cars and Caviar on a yacht. It’s much simpler than that. We can all experience it and most importantly, we can curate our lives to accommodate it, as and when we want it.
Privacy: keep your most precious experiences to yourself
On graduation day, August 2022, I had promised myself that I wouldn’t share my graduation photos on social. Having obtained my qualification, with life throwing me curveballs every chance it got, made me value this qualification even more. So I wanted my graduation day to be mine and mine alone. But guess what? I shared it! The moment I did, I knew that I’d made a mistake. People, being kind, responded accordingly. I, being polite, now shifted my attention from my rare graduation moment to my phone. I’d never felt so empty and so spent on such a beautiful day of my life. Just like that, my cute little moment had slipped from my fingers.
Lesson learned: it’s okay to be selfish with your most valued experiences. Privacy is a luxury. Every once in a while, just enjoy the pleasures of life without sharing them with the world. Splurging on Seared Ahi Tuna? Keep it just to yourself and I promise the food tastes better when you don’t have to check your phone for our approval.
Food: enhance your dining experience
Now, we can’t talk about dining without talking about Professor Charles Spence’s work, an experimental psychologist at Oxford University. One of Spence’s findings was that people will rate the same yoghurt 15% tastier and more expensive when sampled with a silver spoon rather than with a plastic spoon. So bring out your fine china and silverware (I know you have ’em) and eat from a table, not your lap. Switch the TV off and put your playlist on. If you don’t have one, try the DMX Smooth Jazz channel on DSTV. It’s a personal favourite.
Splurge: own at least 1 luxury item
To keep life interesting, I officially declare that every woman should be allowed at least one luxury item they can’t compromise on! How about Egyptian Cotton, or a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes, or a Jo Malone scented candle? ‘wink’
Luxury is, in my opinion, an improvement in quality. Quality time, quality memories and every once in a while, just a better quality preference.
