I often remind my husband of how low maintenance I am. Seriously. He grew up in the south and has no desire to leave it, which means he was destined to marry a southern girl. Compared to many southern girls, I am very low maintenance. I don't spend much on my hair, I don't buy clothes that aren't on sale and even though I love shoes, I only have a modest collection compared to some.
I'm a pretty basic person. I subscribe to blogs with names like Becoming Minimalist and substance over stuff. Even when I was parenting babies, I avoided stuff. A sling, some diapers, and the ability to lactate were about all I needed.
But I could so get used to luxury if I had the chance. Last year, I rode to a conference with my friend Stephanie and she had a new car. The car came with free OnStar service for a while. Did we use it? Oh, yes we did! I remember Stephanie saying, "You know, it doesn't take long to get used to luxury, does it?"
No, it doesn't. Four times in my life -- just four times -- I've gotten a professional pedicure. The first time was in July of 1997 when I was nine months pregnant with Caleb. It was so hot and I felt as big as a barn. I went to the beauty school and paid all of $12.00 for a pedicure. I thought I was in heaven. The next two times were gift certificates and the most recent time was about a month ago. Emily and I went together when I got back from my trip to Charleston and Savannah. After a week of walking non-stop, it felt really good to have that bit of pampering.
This morning, I finally removed the polish that was left. The whole time I was thinking, "OK, so I paid $30.00 and it lasted four weeks. That's not too bad. Maybe I could afford to do this on a regular basis." Who am I kidding, though? Thirty dollars is a good chunk of grocery money or haircuts for all three of my guys. So I suppose that pedicures will remain a luxury, but it also made me wonder:
What luxury could you really get used to? If money weren't in the equation, what would you LOVE to have that you don't have now? Sometimes, it's fun to day dream a bit!
7 comments:
someone to clean for me - really, just to do the floors - that would be nice.
I've had 3 pedicures. The first was with a gift certificate that a secret sister gave me when I was 9 months pregnant with Connor. It was bliss. The second (from the same magnificent spa) was with some left over gift card credit that my mom gave me when she moved to another town. The third was a cheap job here in Searcy and it was NOT good.
What luxury would I love to have? I don't know...I just looked at a young woman who had come from the beauty shop and she had an expensive cut, style, and color and I thought "How can she afford that luxury?" Then she got into her expensive car (that I know she and her husband can't possibly be paying for) and she was chatting on her latest new cell phone (that I'm pretty sure the in-laws also pay for) and I seethed a little bit because I know she considers these things to be neccessities. I don't want any of those things, but I think I'd enjoy the knowledge of knowing that if I DID want them I could have them. I know you said to remove money from the equation, but the luxury I long for most is the luxury of knowing that I have financial peace.
Angela, Thanks for the reminder that we really do have many luxuries in every day life. I have a house with 4 bedrooms. I have two vans. I have a cell phone and it's an iPhone so I have internet access all the time. In our culture that's full of stuff, it's very easy to confuse luxuries and necessities.
Like you, I'm never quite sure how the money thing is going to work out. Our finances have been a roller coaster from day 1, and I don't see that changing any time in the near future. That said, we have more stability now than we had for years, primarily because I have a salaried job. I'd love the luxury of not working, but it's just not an option at this point. We're still paying for mistakes made long ago and it will take a while to undo the damage we did to ourselves.
I think the luxury I'd most like to get used to is a weekly massage. Like you, I'm trying to simplify and minimize the stuff, so I've told my husband that a gift certificate for a massage is a gift I'll always love.
Of course, I could probably get used to a maid, too. :-)
I would like to be able to get my hair cut and highlighted regularly. I get it done maybe about once a year, and love it everytime, but to look good, it needs it every couple of months. My hair looks nice for about a month, and then very frumpy the rest of the year.
I have never had a manicure or pedicure!! I have a weird obession with nails, as soon as white shows, I cut it off, so I have never had anything that anyone could pamper!
Just yesterday I talked to someone about the fact that I have NEVER had a pedicure. Her take was about like yours...must try...C
Hey Lisa,
I found you through ARWomenBloggers and LOVE your blog! Your book list is great. I have read many of them, but am copying the list for more good ideas. Currently I'm reading The Thirteenth Tale...highly recommended and almost finished. Different for sure:)
I am thrilled to find other AR bloggers and look forward to staying connected with ya'll!
Amanda
Post a Comment