Hedonistic pleasures

[Hula Hoop]

I was just thinking today, as I sat by the pool watching my daughter have fun in the water that pure hedonistic pleasures are under-rated and I'd like to fit more of them into my life.  So, please list here your hedonistic pleasures both big and small.  Mine are:

-swimming
-lying by the pool, beach or lake post swim and reading a book/checking my phone
-cherry blossoms in spring
-art exhibits
-gelato
-nice wine or beer
-good coffee
-roller blading
-riding a bike
-summer fruit
-good olive oil from our friend's trees on everything
-music
-my pilates class
-chocolate

[BicycleB]

Drinking cool, clear, fresh water

[meghan88]

All of the above, plus:

- getting a really good massage (especially when it's covered by a health plan!)
- a good workout or run
- a shower after a good workout or run
- getting into bed when the sheets are fresh
- cool summer nights
- a hearty soup or stew + fresh baguette in winter

[Beach_Stache]

Drinking coffee in the morning without rush to get somewhere (maybe happens once/month)
Taking a day nap
Taking a walk around the neighborhood w/DW and w/o the dogs/kids (maybe happened 2 or 3 times...)
Throwing my boys around in the pool (the first 2 are too big now, the last one can still get some air!)
Watching my boys play w/other school/neighborhood kids the way I did when I was a kid and inventing some crazy game!
Being at the Beach with no agenda and being able to play or sit or do whatever w/no agenda

[mistymoney]

coffee in the am, ice cream in the pm.

I'd have another coffee at night instead of the ice cream, but, it'd keep me up. :P

I've been making this amazing iced coffee that is just sooooo delicious. I don't want summer to ever end.

[zolotiyeruki]

Because I'm hungry today, I'm going to list "eating out."  A few specific things stick out:

--Chuy's Fajitas.  Or burritos.  Or tortilla chips with creamy jalapeno dip.  Basically anything from Chuy's.
--Chili's chicken bacon ranch quesadillas
--The 6oz sirloin steak meal at Texas Roadhouse.  With peanuts while you wait for your table, endless rolls with honey butter, an awesome house salad, and one other side, for $11.
--Strawberry milkshake at Steak & Shake (the "specialty" one with real strawberries)
--Sitting in my comfy office chair playing video games on the computer
--Sending the kids to their cousins' house for a day (or week) and sleeping in without them waking us up

[AMandM]

Fresh homemade bread with butter melting into it.

Family carol singing by the light of the real candles on the Christmas tree.

Fresh pesto made from the basil and garlic in our garden.

Taking dry laundry down from the line.

[JLee]

A nice gin with a quality tonic.

[OtherJen]

-Homemade guacamole, eaten straight out of the molcajete
-Fresh tamales, especially on Christmas morning
-Drinking coffee in the morning while staring out the open kitchen window (this is our normal late spring–early fall routine)
-The Christmas Eve carol service broadcast live from King's College, Cambridge
-Singing with my choirs
-A Sazerac cocktail (smells as good as it tastes)
-Fancy hand-dyed lace-weight yarn
-A hot bath with lavender-scented epsom salts

[fuzzy math]

Being off grid
Putting my phone on silent mode (surprisingly difficult with my job)
Laying naked in bed (children make this difficult)
Complete silence
Being in a natural area so large that it makes me feel small, insignificant
Carving my own path in the winter on skis
Hot coffee smells slapping me in the face (casually smelling and drinking coffee for recreational purposes, not for "WAKE UP NOW AND GET GOING" purposes)
Having an entire day to lounge and do whateverTF I want without feeling pressured to be productive or help others (again, children ugh haha)

[januarian]

-Sitting in the hot tub outside on a cold winter night, especially if there’s snow on the ground
-Home cooked multi-course meals cooked specifically for the pleasure of intentional eating
-Playing with animals
-Wandering through a botanical garden
-Night skinny dipping
-Coloring in a coloring book
-Sitting in a coffee shop listening to classical music and journaling
-Eating snacks and drinking wine while reading a favorite book

[philli14]

PTF. These are good ideas for when I practice some stoic negative visualization.

[erutio]

A nice gin with a quality tonic.

@JLee , can you refer me to examples of good gins and quality tonics?  I enjoy myself a gin and tonic regularly, but all I've ever tried are the standard brands you can buy at big box grocery stores (ie bombay sapphire, schweppes, canada dry), but I'd be really interested in stepping up my gin and tonic game.

[JLee]

A nice gin with a quality tonic.

@JLee , can you refer me to examples of good gins and quality tonics?  I enjoy myself a gin and tonic regularly, but all I've ever tried are the standard brands you can buy at big box grocery stores (ie bombay sapphire, schweppes, canada dry), but I'd be really interested in stepping up my gin and tonic game.

PM inbound

[2sk22]

The burst of pleasure you get when you finally understand something complex

[stoaX]

Lacing up the skates and stepping on the ice.

[2Birds1Stone]

Sex. It's free and very healthy =P

[mitchm]

All of the above, plus:

- getting a really good massage (especially when it's covered by a health plan!)
- a good workout or run
- a shower after a good workout or run
- getting into bed when the sheets are fresh
- cool summer nights
- a hearty soup or stew + fresh baguette in winter

Any tips on how to get insurance to cover massages?

[meghan88]

All of the above, plus:

- getting a really good massage (especially when it's covered by a health plan!)
- a good workout or run
- a shower after a good workout or run
- getting into bed when the sheets are fresh
- cool summer nights
- a hearty soup or stew + fresh baguette in winter

Any tips on how to get insurance to cover massages?

The health coverage I get from my employer allows for re-imbursements on massages from registered massage therapists, up to $500 / year.  Some plans require a doctor's letter for such coverage, but my plan does not.

[horsepoor]

A nice gin with a quality tonic.

@JLee , can you refer me to examples of good gins and quality tonics?  I enjoy myself a gin and tonic regularly, but all I've ever tried are the standard brands you can buy at big box grocery stores (ie bombay sapphire, schweppes, canada dry), but I'd be really interested in stepping up my gin and tonic game.

I love the Boylan Heritage tonic with Beehive Distilling Jack Rabbit barrel-aged gin (no lime required).  I find the tonic at Natural Grocer, but Fever Tree is pretty good too if you can't find Boylan.

Pleasures:

Eating homegrown blackberries fresh off the vine.  I don't get many, but they are incredible.

Also the perfect tomatoes right now.

Snuggling my dog.

Sleeping in and getting that really sound, REM sleep.

The first cup of coffee in the morning.  I try to give myself time to enjoy it and wake up, rather than having to rush off somewhere with a travel mug.

[Loretta]

Soaking in a nice clean, roomy bath tub. 

[markbike528CBX]

Discovering and posting a MPP.

[frugaldrummer]

Lying by a pool or at the beach with a good book. And I haven't done it once this summer even though I live 6 miles from the beach! My life is too crazy busy, including a boyfriend with advanced lung cancer, but I need to get to the beach!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Will ditto almost everything posted. My  ilst:

-A great wine
-A fabulous cheese platter. Try to avoid dairy, so when I go big, it's glorious
-Sitting by the pool, reading my book
-An unexpected date night
-A salad from fridge/pantry leftovers that somehow is perfection
-High quality running shoes
-A cup of tea on a cold night
-A sparkling water with lunch. Try not to do it often because environment + cost, but love them
-High quality sheets
-A hot bath

[Hula Hoop]

Lying by a pool or at the beach with a good book. And I haven't done it once this summer even though I live 6 miles from the beach! My life is too crazy busy, including a boyfriend with advanced lung cancer, but I need to get to the beach!

I'm really sorry about your boyfriend's cancer.  I hope that you're able to take a bit of me-time despite what must be a wrenching situation.

[frugaldrummer]

Thank you. Not much me time but trying to do fun things with him when we can. I've got a business trip coming up in September that we are adding a few vacation days to, and I've got a couple music gigs coming later in September. It's just the kind of thing you walk through.

[JLee]

A nice gin with a quality tonic.

@JLee , can you refer me to examples of good gins and quality tonics?  I enjoy myself a gin and tonic regularly, but all I've ever tried are the standard brands you can buy at big box grocery stores (ie bombay sapphire, schweppes, canada dry), but I'd be really interested in stepping up my gin and tonic game.

My personal favorite is Barr Hill -- there are many excellent options out there. Hendricks, Cold River, Gunpowder...soooo many. I sent you a PM earlier, but if you want I can make a list of what I have - if I can get an idea of what you like, I can recommend something.

Stepping up your tonic quality will help dramatically. Trader Joe's tonic is excellent for the price but is out of production now (they're redesigning the packaging).  Fever Tree and Q are both superb, but also a bit expensive.  Fever Tree offers several different types of tonic and they recommend pairings for them: https://portal.fever-tree.com/pairing-wheel

[jamesbond007]

Cooking, riding my bicycle, playing boardgames.

[Villanelle]

For a decent gin that is fairly readily available at most modest-sized liquor store, consider Hendrick's.  Better with a cucumber.  I thought I didn't like gin (had only had the very standard bar brands) and the first time I had a Hendrick's and tonic at a nice bar (so probably a somewhat better tonic, as well), I realized I just dislike shit gin. 

[okisok]

Finishing a library book in a series, then being able to download the next one in the series in seconds onto my Kindle without getting out of bed!