Luxuries of Life
Luxuries of life, what are they? I think they are the difference between having a great day or an average day. Each one of us are feeling the importance of them.
As I write this, we are in a lockdown where only essential shops are opened. No more visiting friends and family. No more eating out. No more coffee with friends or drinks at the pub at the weekend. No more girly shopping trips or meeting at the gym. These are the luxuries of life we are missing at the moment. The loss gets more prevalent day by day.
Meanwhile, as a nation, we have rediscovered the joys of baking, home cooked meals and family time. The craving for social interaction has birthed a new craze of online social events, in the form of wine tasting, drinking games and pub quizzes between groups of friends. Other amazing ideas include exercising together with your friends, having cooking competitions, a book club, and that’s just naming a few.
Lessons Learned
We are starting to realise that these are the luxuries of life, nothing to do with material possessions. It’s those special occasions that we share with loved ones and friends. Those moments that we can never get back if we miss the opportunity, for instance birthdays, weddings, births and anniversaries. Don’t get me wrong some of us are craving alone time as well.
However, we are desperately feeling the loss of social connection, especially for those living on their own. Maybe as a nation, once restrictions are lifted, we may begin to appreciate these moments more and more, and be more fully present and engaged in the conversations we are in. This is one of the positive things that have come out of this situation we are in.
No Regrets, just a Lesson Learned
I hope you don’t mind me indulging myself a bit here, but I have been pondering on the past since my Dad passed away recently. I loved going home to Kettering to see my parents and family, they were……are special times. My biggest regret was……..not having more meaningful conversations with my Dad. He had an interesting life, before kids and family took over. However, he never spoke about them, and after he passed away I started hearing stories of his younger days, which I would have loved to have explored further, given the chance.
This has made me look at life a little differently. I have conversations with my mum more and more about her past. Together, Jim and I share bits of our past with our kids, so they don’t miss out. Also, I often drop my friends a simple text to say hi, if I haven’t spoken to them for a while, just to show they are in my thoughts and it’s lovely to get one back.
Just a few simple thoughtful acts not only brighten someone’s day but also gives you a boost of happy hormones.
So no regrets, just a lesson learned.
“Be Grateful and you will be Happy”
Instead of thinking “I’ll be happy when…..”, be grateful for what we have, and always show your appreciation of these “luxuries of life”, as we never know what’s round the corner.
Living Agelessly
Kath
