True Luxury

Let’s look at some of my favorite luxuries: a day spent wandering blissfully around one of our favorite spots with my wife, an evening with my kids just talking, or how about a pot of freshly brewed coffee in the morning? Now, many people might say a cruise to the islands, luxury accommodations at a resort – stuff like that. The range here shows the embodiment of what we think about when we think of “luxury.” It has a wide range of expressions and profound differences in meaning.

For me, the cat purring loudly beside me is more of a luxury than the cruise. It’s a matter of perspective. It is a matter of what you have. What you’ve done without. Also what you’ve gained by hard work.
Having woken up one morning, homeless in a building undergoing demolition, with a dollar thirteen cents to my name, I understand how good the coffee is. Having spent years in broken relationships or without companionship. I know the value of simple joys spent with family.

I have a quote from George Patton that means something to me: “I don’t measure a man’s success by how high he climbs but how high he bounces when he hits bottom.” Having hit bottom a few times, I’ve come to appreciate the things you most often do without being at the bottom.
My take on things is that true luxury is comprised of simple things with intense meaning. For the most part, the rest is window dressing, and it can wait until later—much later.