Issue #3: The Art of Little Luxuries

It’s in the small moments we create + the beauty we wake up in the morning and decide to see that constitutes a life well lived.

It’s our first warm weather weekend in Massachusetts and the masses are thrilled. The brusk New Englanders of February are now smiling as you pass them on the street, beaches are packed with couples dipping their toes into the ocean, and restaurateurs are rejoicing at filled patios lining Boston city streets. I spent Sunday laughing on my friend's rooftop as a group of us soaked in the sun, swung by an incredible cheese shop I hadn’t gone to in a while, and to round out the afternoon my husband met my friend + me for a last-minute glass of wine before we headed home for dinner. On our walk to the car, we passed two men sitting on a stoop chatting and sipping martinis as the rays of the sun shone down through the trees above them + I couldn’t help but be reminded of how much I appreciate life’s little luxuries. 

Yes, stays at Travel + Leisure featured properties are magnificent and who doesn’t love clothes with fabrics that hang on them just perfectly right but I long ago learned that it’s the little luxuries — the beauty we seek out in our day-to-day lives — that leave us satisfied when we fall into bed at night. 

It’s in the small moments we create + the beauty we wake up in the morning and decide to see that constitutes a life well lived.

Look up from your computer or phone, what visually delights you?

What can you work into your day that perhaps seems too indulgent for a Tuesday? 

Is there a task you have to complete that you could make more enjoyable? 

Let’s choose to luxuriate in the magic of today — because despite everything, there is so much to enjoy.

Big hugs,

Kayli

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Some favorite little luxuries…

Fill a bathtub with Epsom salt + call a friend on the phone. Done even better on a lunch break when it feels beyond indulgent to be taking a soak.

A chilled tipple as I wind down the day, and may I suggest putting the glass in the freezer for 30 minutes or so before imbibing? I love a glass of Savatiano (a Greek wine I discovered at Boston favorite KAVA Neo-Taverna that delivers a crisp moment and skin contact funkiness) or Seedlip mixed with low-sugar tonic + a squeeze of lime. 

Invest in good toilet paper. Enough said.

Turn on your favorite playlist as you cook a meal. I love swaying to this one and am really having a moment with this record! 

Drive to your favorite ice cream spot for a sweet treat after dinner. 

Take your morning cuppa to a place in nature to appreciate. 

Grab fresh flowers at the farmers market + display them on your countertop. 

Scream into your pillow with the ferociousness of a zoo animal instead of bottling whatever pent-up emotions you’re experiencing.

Work outside listening to birds chirp. 

Prepare lunch for the week on Sunday evening so you feel cared for + nourished throughout the coming days. 

Keep a folded blanket at the foot of your bed that you can reach for if it gets chilly in the middle of the night.

Light a candle as you shower or burn incense at your desk.

Take yourself to a local bookstore and browse the aisles choosing a read that seems unputdownable. 

Hang a piece of art that inspires you or a photo that makes you smile where you’ll glance up to it often.

Run out for a bagel and devour it greedily on a park bench.

Keep fresh citrus in the fridge at all times. Perfect for garnishing an icy glass of sparkling water or squeezing onto fresh greens.

I know, I know, this is definitely more than a little luxury but I can’t not include my all-time favorite Eberjay pajamas. Slipping into them after a shower feels like being wrapped in a hug + as I move throughout the evening it feels like how I’d imagine wading through buttercream feels like. Shout out to

Daley’s Substack

for introducing me to their magic years ago. 

Grab a loved one or your pet + take in the sunset. Notice each and every variation of color. 

Take 60 seconds to deep breathe. You know, the breaths that really fill up your chest and make your brain feel a little closer to crystal.

Laugh! Maniacally, from the belly, the kind where tears are running down your cheeks. As someone that experiences night terrors (IYKYK) this TikTok had me howling.

Swipe on your favorite lipstick even if you’re not leaving the house, don your laciest lingerie under your t-shirt + jeans, or dance sensually around your bedroom. Why do we not marvel at the beauty we are each and every fucking day?

Make your bed in the morning so you can slither into the crisp sheets at night.

Rub lotion or body oil onto your skin, write down 3 things you’re grateful for, and fall asleep daydreaming of something that makes you smile — your dog, the sexcapade you’re hoping to have, or how well a presentation at work will go tomorrow. “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.”– Soren Kierkegaard

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Loving Lately

✨ I’ve made Elissa Goodman’s Mediterranean Protein Pasta Salad more times than I can count + it holds up as the perfect weekday lunch! I do mix up the veggies used from time to time, don’t add sugar to the dressing + use good ole’ dairy-filled feta. I think it’s a great meal for folks looking to use up the veggies they have in their fridge or enjoy experimenting while still tasting amazing. 

✨ I got my Chappywrap on sale years ago and use it nonstop. I keep it on the foot of our bed, bring it on road trips (yes, I need the air conditioning on full blast for my motion sickness but I still get chilly!), and I’ve even brought it with me on airplanes. It’s cozy, big without getting in the way, and adds a pop of color to the room. I absolutely love it! Mine is sold out but I have my eye on this one + this one.

✨ Hue Light Bulbs are truly a little luxury Mylius staple and we’ve slowly been converting every light source in our home to one. Home lighting before bed can mess with your circadian rhythm and as someone that takes her sleep very seriously, I love that I can schedule the light to dim darker + darker prior to sleep. You can turn Hue lights red too which has no effect on the circadian rhythm clock so you can read away.

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Burn your favorite candle, make sure you have your drink of choice poured, and curl up in a cozy spot without distractions. 

Set a timer on your phone for 10 minutes and close your eyes if you feel safe to do so. 

Simply breathe and imagine in vivid detail your perfect day. Not a day on vacation (though maybe for you, your perfect day does involve some form of travel!) but a day in your “everyday” life. 

Feel free to turn on calm music if it helps your thoughts to flow more freely. Here’s a manifestation frequency you could try if desired.

Once your timer goes off, get out your journal and write everything you imagined in great detail. 

Questions to ask yourself can include…

What am I eating for breakfast?

Who do I see? 

What am I doing in my free time?

Where am I working?

How do I feel + what am I doing to actively experience that feeling? 

What am I wearing?

When I open my eyes what’s the first thing I see? 

This shouldn’t be a quick exercise. Take as much time as you need to imagine, write, and feel the feelings of your perfect day.

At least once a week read about your perfect day and ask what you can do right now to incorporate a piece of it into your present. Maybe it’s taking the time to get ready in the morning. Perhaps it’s finally treating yourself to that milk frother so your breakfast can include the perfect latte. It can even be shutting your laptop at 4pm on Wednesday instead of your usual 7pm + using that time to take a walk. 

Whatever your perfect day is luxuriate in the emotions that it sparks within you. As you grow more and more familiar with these emotions, it’ll become easier to recognize when you’re living in your “perfect day zone.” x