A small pleasure is one of those tiny acts or moments that make you feel extreme peace or joy or gratitude. It’s easy to overlook them in our day-to-day lives, but once we notice them, we’re able to feel more present. For the past 9 years, I’ve been compiling small pleasures in my Notes app, in my journals, and in my mind.
I came across the book “Small Pleasures” by The School of Life a few years ago. It’s one of my favorite books — reading it is a small pleasure in itself. Every chapter touches on a different moment, like that feeling when you’re finally fully recovered after being sick, or when you’re physically exhausted after a productive day, or when you and someone else dislike the same person, or the feeling of a night alone at a hotel.
Small pleasures just always feel so good. And they help us see life from a fresh perspective. They might be small, but they’re a big inspiration.
As an introduction to this newsletter, here are just some of my own small pleasures I’ve been compiling over the years:
- Being on a plane and seeing how tiny the earth below me looks (especially when you’re flying over a suburban neighborhood filled with bright, blue, picturesque swimming pools in the backyards)
- Finding handwritten messages in old books (Who is Timothy? Did they actually like this birthday gift? Did they even read this book or did they just donate it?)
- Being in my childhood room when I go back home to visit and waking up to the smell of breakfast being cooked
- Seeing the insides of different apartments when I’m walking down the street and admiring furniture, lamps, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves
- Going to the restroom at a restaurant and coming back to the table and the food is already there
- Getting drawn by someone you’re in love with
- When the bathroom shelf is restocked with freshly washed towels
- Things I have learned having lived in New York City and Ottawa, Canada
How to Experience More Luxury Every Day throught Small Pleasures
We all need to be experiencing more luxury in our daily lives. By luxury, I don’t necessarily mean expensive. Unless it’s expensive in a Tom Ford perfume kind of way (my weakness).
Treat your home like a small gallery
I have small tables in one of my reading nooks/rooms and I use it for displaying my favorite books and objects. It’s kinda like my “what’s on display for this week?” table. Right now, I’ve got a poetry book by Fernando Pessoa, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island which my son is reading, a book on gardening that a friend gifted us, and a candle.
Keep a stash of extra journals and stationery
I’m all for having a bunch of journals handy. I am a writer, I need those things. I prefer the Japanese brand Hobonichi. You’re at a stationery store or traveling? You’re buying a journal—even if you have 10 new ones at home. It’s nice knowing you have a collection of beautiful journals, cards, and sticky notes of all sizes and paper types and colors. They also make great gifts. I also recommend having blank cards and envelopes too so you can design your own with markers and pencils.
Get an incredible hand soap
Hand soap is one of those things I will always splurge on. To wash your hands is a daily and necessary act and I may as well have the very best!! My go-tos that smells incredible are the Bath and Body Works soaps. Or just thrift a nice soap dispenser and put whatever soap you want in there.
Make your home smell good
Speaking of scents, your home deserves a few signature scents. Usually, I’m in a candle mood, I’m burning Library from Maison Markosian.
Fill your fridge and pantry with fun items and prioritize the presentation
My non-negotiables: English breakfast, fancy soups and bowls, good honey, berries, assortment of cheeses, coffee for days, and teas of all flavors. I don’t drink alcohol but cracking open a fun beverage (something frizzy, oxymel, lavender syurup with sparkling water) at 5 pm, adding a singular big ice cube, and sipping it out of your favorite cup or glass? There is nothing more luxurious. I don’t care if I’m eating the simplest meal by myself—I will put a lot of care into the plating because it makes me happy.
Make time to microread
Even if it’s just for 5 minutes! I can’t stress this enough. It’s better to read just one page a day than not read at all. Sometimes I don’t read because I think I need an entire hour dedicated to it, but it’s been freeing to let go of that. I’ll squeeze in a few pages in the morning or while eating lunch. And always carry your book around. Giving yourself time to read every day is one of those necessary luxuries.
Treat your morning routine like a special ritual
I love getting ready in the morning once I am fully awake. I listen to Spotify, take my time with my skincare routine, get dressed and drink some warm lemon water and coffee or tea. The whole thing lasts no more than 30 minutes but it’s the best way to start my day.
Never leave the house without a book
This is a rule I like to follow strictly. Unless my bag is too tiny, I will always carry a book with me. It helps to pack a lighter, more pocket-sized book, but if you want to bring your thicker books, go for it. Many times I’ve arrived at a dinner reservation too early or had an impromptu park hangout and I ended up being so thankful that I had a book with me. You want to have the option of whipping out a book at any given moment!
Treat your tastebuds to something new every week
Whether you’re trying a new restaurant or cooking a dish you’ve never made before, aim for novelty every week. Pick up a fruit or vegetable you usually don’t get at the farmers’ market. Make a reservation at a restaurant you’ve been wanting to go to since last summer. Eat stuff you don’t usually eat. I grew up a picky eater, so now I’ll try (almost) anything to make up for those years.
Learn something new and go deep
Find a topic you want to dive deep into. Maybe it’s art history, swimming, running, fly fishing, or crocheting — or all of the above. My brain always craves learning about multiple things at once, so right now I’m focused on modern art history, Frida Kahlo’s life, Mexican interior design, and AI’s impact on mental health.
Go see all the films and art exhibitions
Go solo or with company. I like a mix of both. I love to have dinner with friends and then go to the movies by myself. A while ago I went to see Pedro Almodóvar’s Law of Desire (1987). It’s a story following the life of a gay filmmaker in Madrid and the extremes we go to when we’re obsessed with someone. I won’t say anything else, but it was fantastic. As for art galleries, look up the galleries in your city and see what’s currently being shown and what’s coming up. I have a running list of exhibitions I want to check out, the neighborhood they’re in, and how long they’re going on. If I happen to be in the area, I’ll pop in.
Smell good all the time
I’m still wearing Tom Ford’s Lost Cherry almost every day, but I have a little bag of samples I frequently reach for with perfumes from Le Labo, Byredo, and D.S. & Durga. I especially love Italian Citrus, I Don’t Know What, and Rose 31.
Have do-nothing days
Christmas season can be super busy, so always make time for days when nothing is on the agenda. You never know what the day will turn into, and it’s one of the best parts of unplanned days. The day will feel soooo long and wonderful.
Again, pay attention to the small pleasures
This is how I try to live my life every day. And it’s the inspiration behind this article, after all! Look up at the clouds. Stare at your coffee while it brews. Say hi to your neighbors. See the sunset. Notice your body. Enjoy the cold. Eat lots of healty food. Take siestas. People watch. Have a hot beverage outside. Dine at a fancy restaurant. Let hot chocolate be your drink for this season. Reapply good smelling lotions. Take multiple hot showers a day.
What are some of your small pleasures?
