Why do we deny ourselves the simple everyday luxuries that make us feel special, unique, perhaps hinting at regal. I am currently reading the book Wear More Cashmere which provides 151 ways a woman can treat herself to luxuriant indulgences for very little cost. And why not?

Why do we save so little for ourselves? We save the best hand towels for special occasions and guests, we save the last penny for some elusive crumb, and we tend to the mundane yet noble tasks that our various roles require.

But those cumbersome roles can hold us back if we let them. We tend to forget the magnitude of our own existences. We pull the weeds in place of tending new relationships. In the overwhelming responsibilities that we take upon ourselves, we forget the true happiness that comes from choosing a new bottle of perfume. I do not condone frivolity, but I do promote a small measure of luxury every once in awhile to soothe the soul, especially when it’s been buried beneath the weight of selflessness.

Right now I’m listening to some contemporary folk music that is raising my hair with its effect. Wrapping me up like high thread count sheets. Sometimes I forget how well music treats me. Shortly after enlarging our family, I had to buy a Vogue magazine. I’m normally not a Vogue kind of person. The style is far above anything I could afford or understand. But I just needed to completely submerge myself in something absolutely indulgent. It symbolized to me something that overcame the bounds of motherhood that seemed to tighten quickly around me. It offered a little sense of relief.

I have denied myself many things in the name of practicality and it’s taking a lot of work to come back around to me.