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Luxury Defined
posted by at 08:08 AM on May 11, 2008
Luxury Defined
Recently, a group of friends I was traveling with got to talking about “Luxury Defined”, or rather, what their idea of luxury is. As it happened, everyone’s idea of luxury was a little different. It’s like trying to define something subjective, like the best color, which of course is different for everyone. If you’re the type to buy into media hype, luxury would include riding around in Bentleys’, wearing Rolex watches and Versace clothing, downing bottles of Dom, and partying on crazy yachts or in some mansion overlooking the ocean. Having trouble following? Just watch a few rap videos, you’ll get the idea. In reality though, probably not many people get to experience that type of luxury. So then what, really, is luxury for those of us who aren’t billionaires or rap stars?
As I mentioned earlier, true luxury is going to vary greatly depending on things like where you live, or maybe what you do for a living. On a very basic level, there are lots of things that could be considered luxury which you and I might take for granted. For someone living in a third world country near the equator, air conditioning might be considered luxury. Along those same lines, running water or electricity might also be considered luxurious. But, if you’re a Specialized riders club member, running water and electricity may be pretty mundane, and your idea of luxury might be something more exotic, like a nice massage at a day spa, or some new tricked out bike. Getting back to that conversation with my friends about “luxury defined”, sure there are things that we dream about that are luxurious, but we all have different little luxurious activities that we indulge in from time to time.
In my younger days (when I used to enjoy beer a lot more than I do now), I was introduced to the basic luxury of shower beers. Yeah, it may not sound that great, but give me a second here. Think about after you’ve returned from a long ride, and how good that nice warm shower feels afterward. That shower feels so good, that it could be considered a luxury in and of itself. However, throw in your favorite frosty cold beverage, and suddenly we’re talking full luxury! There’s something about the hot water and the cold beer that just make it pretty damn nice. Sure, there’s no crazy bikini clad dancers w/fur coats on spraying champagne everywhere, but hey, that would just be a little weird anyway. I don’t know what happened, but somewhere around my 27th birthday, I started getting hangovers, so the shower beers became a lot less frequent.
These days, I’m doing a lot of traveling for work, which may sound exotic, but for the most part, it’s a lot of uncomfortable time spent en route to meetings and trade shows. The uncomfortable-ness of the trips don’t end upon arrival, as we’re often left with little options in the way of decent food once we arrive. Ever spent time in Europe? Then you can relate to heading down to the hotel breakfast and trying to consume bread that was designed more to take the roof of your mouth off, than to provide nourishment. Or how about some of that nice Euro cheese that makes the aroma of a dead skunk seem good? Never been to Europe you say? How about Asia? Rotting cabbage and half cooked bacon ain’t much better. Sure, I’m probably whining at this point, but these uncomfortable issues we put up with are the perfect inspiration to discover a new definition of luxury!
When I started traveling to Taiwan, it was about a 2 hour cab ride from the airport to our hotel. And a cab ride there is a bit different than here in America. For some reason, Taiwanese cab drivers are afflicted with some rare condition that renders them unable to keep a constant pressure on the gas pedal. Sometimes it’s so bad that your neck gets sore from all the acceleration/deceleration, and sometimes you even get a little car sick. Throw on top of that the fact that in Taiwan, there is a traffic law that makes it mandatory for drivers to drive with their air conditioning on full power. To sum it up, it’s like sitting in a meat locker that’s strapped to a bad rollercoaster. And if you have to stop to use the bathroom, forget it. However, recently, Taiwan finished construction on their new high speed rail system, which for me, has turned out to be the very definition of luxury! These trains leave from a nice clean station, are extremely smooth (even when travelling at 200Km/hr), there’s lots of seating room in them, and they even keep the temperature at a moderate level! Need to use the restroom? Just head to the end of the car, where a nice clean washroom awaits! The high speed rail is “Luxury Defined” for someone who has had to spend time in Taiwanese cabs.
Ok, enough of my rambling, I’d like to hear about what fellow Rider’s Club members definition of luxury is. Is there something that you do or experience to spice up an otherwise mundane work day? Is your idea of luxury something quite simple, or do you command a more complex definition to achieve luxury status? Whatever the case, please share with us what “Luxury Defined” is for you!
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Comments (7)
08:23 PM on May 20, 2008 UTC Meshell wrote:
My 'Luxury' Defined:
I sat solo at the breakfast buffet at the Marriott in Provo, UT, watching all the business professionals half-asleep as the scoped their oatmeal and gripped about their awkward rooming situation. I was reading a very avant garde artist for a theater and culture class- Coco Fusco. I couldn't help but contemplate how fortunate I am. That day was the Independent Conference Championship for Division I Track and Field. As I finished up my breakfast to get ready for my morning shake-out run, I thought of what a luxury I have to be afforded this opportunity, to be on a scholarship that was paying for private university education, to be in the best shape of my life, 20 years old, traveling, being able to perform my passion. I hoped the the best for those business professionals that they are doing what drives them, what makes them happy. Because luxury is knowing and being able to recognize there is so much to be appreciated in this moment.
01:52 PM on May 21, 2008 UTC Joe Buckley wrote:
Meshell,
very nice perspective! Despite all the craziness going on in the world around us, it's pretty easy for most of us to get wrapped up in our own little worlds and forget how fortunate we are.
03:43 PM on May 21, 2008 UTC Chris O'Brien wrote:
I like beer showers...but I also like to drink Orangina while eating Tuna Sandwiches and it's almost impossible to have one without the other. Luxury for me is learning the simple things that make the ordinary absolutely extraordinary.
08:58 PM on May 21, 2008 UTC Rachael Lambert wrote:
I would say that "luxury defined" is waking up late on a Saturday, drinking my favorite coffee and heading out for a mountain bike ride with my friends. Can't think of too many things to top that!
12:59 PM on May 22, 2008 UTC Scott Hay wrote:
This got me thinking a bit and I started having all these ideas of luxury being more of a self accomplishment of I'm "living the dream". I have everything I really want. I live in Santa Cruz , I got the girl, the dog, the truck, and ride on awesome trails with fun good people.
Then I started thinking about the little things that make me happy that some people don’t have. I consider myself a simple guy and until recently I didn’t realize how soft double ply TP is my "luxury defined". For the last 5 years at work its has been, well, disappointing with single ply. Since living with my fiancé she has introduced me to the holy grail of 2 ply. Its the little things in life that is my luxury.
03:34 PM on May 22, 2008 UTC Travis Widder wrote:
As a firm believer in the pre-party beer shower, I could almost stop right here in firm agreement with Buck.
I think luxury is found in perspective. Luxury is anything you don't need... but sure is nice to have. If you're backpacking, a shower is luxury. Ice cubes in the Camelbak is luxury. Sleeping on a bed on a snowboard trip, as opposed to the floor, is a luxury. If you don't have beer, even warm beer is a luxury. A cold beer in the cooler when the rest were warm is also a luxury. So this comes back to perspective... all it takes is a couple trips abroad to see how good I really have it. So many things in my life are a luxury. The Hardrock I used to rally down the Kamikaze was a bike, the rigs I am lucky enough to ride now are simply luxury. I don't need a super nice rig, but it sure is nice!
That being said, luxury is great coffee, starting the day with fresh snowboard socks, and noise-canceling headphones. Soooo good!
03:58 PM on May 28, 2008 UTC Holly B. wrote:
I loved your writing...for me luxury is finishing the Boston marathon and coming home to a house full of family that thinks I'm some great runner. They bought me a new bike to celebrate and now I am trying to be a triathlete..keeping moving forward that is luxury. Accomplish move on and live life to the fullest. I am greatful for family and friends to support me in my "hobby" and to have the luxury to be able to persue my dreams.