Quote is paraphrased from Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

 

I have a confession, you guys.

I’m … I’m a total hedonist.

Shocking, I know.

But, I seriously am. That’s not to say that that is a bad thing. In fact, I think that most people are, at least to some degree. We buy and eat food that comforts us, we use soaps and shampoos whose scent pleases us, and wear clothes that make us feel good.

So, why bring this up?
Mostly because it crossed my mind at 6:48 AM this morning as I lay in my bed, luxuriating in my bamboo sheets. I wondered if anyone else rolled in around in their bed, simply because the softness felt good on their skin.

I do that sort of thing all the time. Mister Man swears that I am at least partially cat. When I argue with him, he scritches my head behind my ear until I shut up.¹

I also make a point of combining food flavors so that I get something totally new. Case in point was last night’s dinner; mango pepper beef stir fry.  The sweet and the hot and the umami all combined into something that was ridiculously good.

Hedonists are often maligned. They are lumped into categories that include glutton, self-indulgent, lecher, libertine.

Why does wanting to enjoy the sensations of life – taste, touch, smell, sight, sound – immediately make me suspect or bad?

Maybe it is our somewhat repressed American heritage. Maybe it is a fear that wanting to enjoy sensations at such disastrous economic times is a sign of …I don’t know. Something bad. Like I said, I have no idea why people automatically assign hedonists to the 8^th Circle of Hell, right alongside people who talk during movies. ²

Here is what I *do* know:

Sitting on the back porch, of a crisp cold day, eating a Honeycrisp apple, while having your hair washed³ by your friend as music plays nearby on a portable stereo?
Is bliss. And should be enjoyed by everyone, once in a while.

 

 

 

 

¹ – Massaging and light scratching on my head? Wonderful way to dodge migraines. As I have those suckers at least twice a month, I’ll take anything that helps. Plus, it just feels good.

²—Case in point? Almost every literary quote that I looked up for “hedonism” pointed to Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

³ – A friend and I discovered this sensation while camping one year. She has loooooooong, swooshy hair. She wanted to wash it but in our primitive campsite – no showers. So, I heated up some water, sat her on a camp stool away from the tents and washed her hair. She, in turn did my slightly less long hair. It was the best.thing.ever.