L is for Luxury

Lots of great L-ideas today...

I figured I could write about life, or love, or being late....have plenty to say on those three words...or maybe even lies, lonely, longevity or getting lost...but I think I will just keep it simple today and list a few of life's little luxuries.

It is possible to LIVE LARGE without having money to spare. I used to say I could be happy living in a cardboard box...but since I don't want to have the chance to test it out-I stopped making that assertion.What I really mean by that phrase is that it doesn't take much to make me happy. The "lifestyles of the rich and famous" really aren't all the appealing to me. A person can be rich without having money to spare at the end of the month.


A few of life's little luxuries

Luxury of Kindness
"Random acts of kindness"....cliche?  maybe, but there is an extravagance in surprising someone, a stranger even, with something that will make them smile. Plan a stealth mission of kindness-guaranteed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
 
Luxury of Nature.

I feel lucky to live in an area with 4 distinct seasons...there is as much beauty in the icy blanket of snow and ice as the colorful fall days, the clear blue summers and yes, even the non-stop rain that we are currently experiencing. I am a tree hugger, so when I saw that my magnolia tree wasn't blooming again this year...I started to assume it was dead. BUT, after 5 straight days of rain, lo and behold...bright green leaves have sprouted, whew!

While I have been utterly disappointed in human nature lately, nature itself is still full of wonder.

Aside from my beloved trees and forests, there are lakes and mountains, flowers, stars, rocks, caves and oceans of beauty to fill your senses with....ah, luxurious

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.
~Anne Frank
.
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we only will tune in.
~George Washington Carver

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.
~Mother Teresa 



Luxury of wandering.
I am generally against cruises, amusement parks and the like. It's a knee-jerk reaction,...I have an almost instantaneous dislike for anyplace that demands that you have fun....wandering is free and can lead to its own fun adventures. A bike isn't free, but it does give you freedom- especially from gas prices. Make up your own fun as you go along.

To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. Robert Louis Stevenson

Now, you can enjoy these luxuries one by one, ....or you can combine all three; random surprises for strangers, extravagant nature and wandering by making guerrilla gardening seed bombs. ( no, it is not an L word...but when I connect the dots it works for this post....G-day will have to find a new word)

(the link takes you to a history of the seed bombs and different varieties) 

   Some people have made them inside egg shells, or balloons...or my favorite, shaped like an actual grenade.

 

How to Make Seed Bombs (the simple, low-tech version) 

You will need; 

Clay- either dig up some from your area, or purchase a container of Crayola Air Dry Clay for a few dollars

Seeds -use seeds for flowers and plants that are native to your area for best results

Compost or worm castings

If you are using clay from the earth, mix 5 parts clay with 1 part compost and 1 part flower seeds. Add a few drops of water and then roll it out on the table. Cut into small pieces and then roll into balls.

If you are using Air Dry Clay, roll out a piece of clay. Sprinkle compost and press seeds on top. Cut into small pieces and then roll into balls.
 

Let the balls dry out before hurling them into sad, barren areas that need a little love.

......and now- The Eurythmics, music, words, art....more luxuries :)   

Would I lie to you?