Back in the ’80s when the economy took a nosedive, some wit came up with the phrase “affordable luxuries.” These were the small-ticket items that wage earners continued to buy even though there was more month than ever left at the end of the paycheque.
People were willing to buy good coffee and chocolate even though they had to make do with an aging vehicle and a shrunken clothes allowance. Purchasing a few of their favourite things seemed to help them tolerate their reduced circumstances.
Consider also, My Favourite Things, a song from The Sound of Music. Maria sang: “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens…”
Maria’s favourites are free or inexpensive, yet when she simply remembers her favourite things, she doesn’t feel so bad.
You too can have a list of favourite things. Some you will simply think about and others you will try to acquire daily.
My favourites include, but are not limited to:
• Fresh, strong coffee;
• Good dark chocolate;
• A walk in the park
• A pen that feels good in the hand and writes elegantly;
• Clean sheets stretched tightly over the mattress;
• Jeans that fit well and look good;
• Woolly socks;
• Handmade moccasins;
• A bouquet of lilacs (They don’t last long but they perfume the whole house.);
• An orchid… growing in a pot or a single blossom in a bowl;
• The smell of a tiny baby’s head;
• Gentle rain-washed breezes;
• Sun rises and sun sets;
• Rainbows;
• Hugs.
You get the idea. Why not make up your own list of favourite things. For the sake of your own happiness, make it a priority to treat yourself to something on your favourites list every day.
(My faithful readers will realize this is a repeat of a column from 2013.)
