Osaka, 2018

My simple luxuries in life, which aren’t expensive yet bring me a lot of joy. Feel free to experiment with any of these simple luxuries, which might brighten your mood, and add more simple joy to your life:

Hot baths (or ice cold baths)
Long aimless walks in the park
Doing deadlifts or squats at the gym
Dancing to music (alone, outdoors, with nobody to judge you). Or better yet, dancing with friends, having fun, and not caring whether you “look cool” dancing.
Simple home cooked meal at home with family, warm, jovial and exuberant conversation that fills the room.
Making photos that bring a smile to your face
Reading philosophy, literature, or books which uplift your soul, and excite you!
Visiting an art museum or exhibition, and only looking and studying pieces you like (ignoring the boring stuff).
Making art like a child: not coloring inside the lines, having fun, and making art for the sake of it, rather than trying to please others.
Traveling somewhere new (doesn’t have to be that far from home, expensive, nor that “exotic”). The joy of trying new foods, experiencing new cultures, and meeting new peoples.
The fun of learning a new language (even if you only know the basics).
Buying a new outfit on clearance, or discounted, or at the local flea market/used vintage store, and feeling like “you got a great deal.”
Smiling and saying hello to a stranger.
Teaching a child something new.
Kissing your loved one to sleep, and recounting your “favorite things of today”.
The bliss of a good espresso, hot cocoa, green matcha tea, or 100% dark chocolate.
Learning how to cook a new meal at home, and having someone to feed it to.
Living for a week in a foreign country, inside an Airbnb, and treating the apartment like your home away from home — exploring the local neighborhood, local restaurants, and local grocery stores.
The joy of looking at random stuff inside grocery stores, and finding excitement.
Playful experimentations making photos, videos, poetry, or any other form of self experimentation.
Seeing a beautiful sunrise by the river.
Getting a cheap massage (Chinese or Thai) for not much money, yet getting your sore knots worked out!
Taking a nice nap in the middle of the day, and waking up with no care in the world.
Binge watching bad movies on flights, with zero ounces of guilt.
Creating and sharing new ideas.