Luxuries Redefined

If a person has wealth, he can spend it on the luxuries of life. Now, what are the luxuries of life? Definitely, there are specific parameters for things or services to qualify as luxuries. Affording a five-star hotel for stay is luxury; being able to travel with a business class flight ticket is luxury, memberships to prestigious clubs is luxury. If you have money, your wish turns into a command. Your wealth is your key, opening all doors to recreation, enjoyment and a wealthy lifestyle. You don’t even need to utter the words “Open Sesame!”

Since the past year, even wealth has failed to bring any enjoyment: no flights, no social gatherings, no vacations. But life goes on….though with a considerable difference. We have been living life with a minimalist attitude, without any frills. It’s been more than a year; even our thoughts haven’t had the audacity to travel to any place, as fear grips our minds containing those insolent travel plans during these scary times. 

The other day, I saw my son by the window in a reflective mood; I went up to him and asked, “What are you dreaming about?”

 He responded with a gloomy voice, “Mama, I remember the days when we would just stop the car on our way back home, step into a shop to buy packets of chips. We would just sit inside the car and, at times, ate without sanitizing our hands, even though you hated it. We can’t do the same now. Can we?”

 He continued with a bit of sadness in his tone, “I remember how we would just grab food right after football and eat with friends, sitting on the stairs, not worrying about carrying any germs. Will those times ever come back? Will we ever be able to play football without fear? Will we ever be able to breathe without a mask? When will everything go back to the old normal? It’s hard living with this new normal.”

My 12-year-old had a lot of questions. He had missed a year of physical school, a year of football and a year of fun with friends. Basically, he had missed a year of growing up.

I didn’t really have any concrete answers to give him, but I did tell him, “Of course, you will attend school and play football with friends” (I didn’t use the word, ‘soon’, though I wanted to). 

“And masks?” He asked.

I just smiled and said, “It’s a distressing phase and will pass.”

He smiled back and turned his head to look outside at the chirping birds. Perhaps the same thought echoed in our heads at that time; “I wish we were also birds, with the freedom to fly to different lands without accessorizing ourselves.”

Today, luxury has an entirely different connotation. Being able to move around freely, any car, any flight is luxury. Meeting relatives and exchanging pleasantries with friends is a luxury. Being able to breathe without a mask is right on top, and living without fear is a definite luxury.

It’s a wonder how the value of things change with changing circumstances. How gold and platinum become less valuable in front of pure air. When life is at stake, you just gasp for more breaths to live on. The present scenario says it all. 

Was this pandemic necessary to make us realize the significance of the true luxuries of life, the ones we always took for granted?

The price tags are messed up due to our misplaced priorities.

Let us declutter our life:

Let’s be extravagant with prayers and smiles; let us splurge on helping others and let us indulge in good thoughts.

Let us understand and value true luxuries and change our path to greener meadows under the radiant Sun.