Extravagance. My first association is always with situations of excess spending, cash, riches, possibly greed. The word makes me uncomfortable sometimes. I hear a voice in my head whispering that if I’m extravagant then I must be wasteful, greedy and caught up in the superficial. But at the same time I writhe under that assumption; even if it’s just my own self-imposed judgment.
If not an exercise in money wasting and flagrant shows of wealth what is extravagance? I try to be responsible with our finances, think through my purchases and not allow myself to accumulate STUFF just because it’s fun to get something new. So, when I do find a little something, a little “treat”, a little luxury, I soak it up and revel in enjoying the little details that I would miss if I was able to buy whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.
Extravagances come in many varieties and each Saturday we indulge in one of ours (yes, a family extravagance!). We have a Saturday morning tradition of visiting the Farmer’s Market. When we were childless we showed up a lot later in the morning…but we got there eventually. Now that we’re up early we get there soon after it opens – more time on the swings! Yay!
We have the best market, we’re a small town but the market packs a punch. Everywhere you look there are fresh flowers, fresh veggies, fresh food, fresh plants and handmade crafts to peruse and lust over. It is a feast for the eyes and taste buds.
Now that we have a toddler in tow the playground chaos is something we brave rather than back away from in terror. The morning routine is to stop and get coffee (checking out all of the colors of the gelato while we wait for the milk to steam), head straight to the swings (patiently waiting for one if needed) and inhaling freshly made donuts. (…little tiny ones that are to die for. Seriously! They’re made with apple juice…)
Every week there’s an opportunity to try something new. The Princess chewed on a piece of lamb jerky for a half hour this week… Sometimes the little luxuries that we splurge on one week become staples in our weekly shopping trips; like fresh bread, pickles, goat milk soap, honey, geraniums that flower stunningly each summer on my deck.
It’s an extravagant collage of color, sound, smell, taste and feel every Saturday morning that we anticipate at the start of each week. It’s a cornucopia of little details that pack a punch of luxury.
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