6 Things I Can’t Live Without

First thing I need to note is that an affogato isn’t on this list of things I can’t live without. But look how GORGEOUS that photo is. I want to jump into it, from a diving board. It makes me want to book a trip to Italy right now, even though I know there are plenty of affogatos in America…eating things in Europe is just better. If you don’t know about an affogato…it’s a scoop of vanilla gelato drowned in a shot of hot espresso. I MEAN COME ON! I had it for the first time when I was in Barcelona and I think a small tear came out of my eye.

Ok, onto the actual blog post…

I really shouldn’t have used this title…6 Things I Can’t Live Without. Because I know I can, obviously, live without them. This isn’t a post about “love, inspiration, spiritual connection, community…” This is a post about things. BUT they make my life feel brighter, and they make me feel good. These are things I use every day. Maybe I should have titled it 6 Things I Could Definitely Live Without But I Don’t Want To… ;)

I was in Nicaragua a couple of years ago for a surf trip with some friends. On the cab ride back to the airport (which was a few hours), I was alone with the cab driver, a native to Nicaragua. I had to speak to him only in Spanish, so our conversation was a little bit broken, but I did my best.

I asked him if he liked to surf. He laughed, and told me he wouldn’t be able to afford to even use a surfboard for the day. Meanwhile my friends and I had been there for a week surfing and hanging out at an awesome resort and eating wonderful food.

For some reason, that little comment made me question my whole life and my whole blog. Here I am talking about how much I love making superfood smoothies in my $400 blender, and I’m so detached from parts of the world where people can’t afford to rent a surfboard for the day. Ugh. It made me feel weird and stupid and sort of grossed out at myself.

The reason I even thought of that story is because when I titled this blog 6 Things I Can’t Live Without it kinda gave me that same feeling again. I know all of this is a luxury. That’s a topic for another time, though, I guess. I’m just going down a rabbit hole now.

The point of this blog is – I’m always interested in hearing about people’s daily routines when it comes to feeling great, especially the absolute go-to things that people “can’t live without.” I’d love to hear some of yours in the comments.

These are 6 things I use in my daily life, and I have been for a long time. None of them cost more than $40.

The little daily things I use that make me feel like me…

• French Press. I use my French Press every single morning. It was only $10 but it’s one of my most-used items. It makes me feel comforted to make hot yerba mate tea to drink while I write in my journal. Obviously, I don’t bring it when I travel, but it’s actually one of the things I miss sometimes when I’m away. For the rest of my life I hope, I will have a French Press in my kitchen wherever I live.

 

• Journal. Speaking of journals, I have one with me at all times. My absolute favorite journals to write in are these handmade soft-cover journals that I usually find at Barnes & Noble. The photo below is an example of a gorgeous one I am currently using. I love journals with big pages (my thoughts need a lot of room..) and for a few years I wrote in a regular spiral notebook, which is the perfect journal size, if you ask me.

• Spotify. I use Spotify daily, for sure. I’ve never used Apple Music before but if you can provide me with a strong case on why it’s better than Spotify I will agree to experiment, but Spotify has been making me happy for a long time. Particularly, the playlists that are categorized by mood. Right now, I’m listening to the “Deep Focus” playlist, which I usually listen to while I write. I love the “Wake Up Happy” playlist too, which I’ll frequently have playing in my apartment. Of course, I’ve made a ton of my own playlists too. They need a little cleanup but I always use them on my runs and walks. The only drawback I find with streaming music is that I can’t access it when I’m in the NYC subway or have no wifi, but that is easily fixed by making at least 1 playlist available offline. I love you, Spotify. How fun would it be to have the job of putting together all of the pre-made Spotify playlists? (If that’s your job, please comment because I want to say hi to you, and thank you!!) #hehe
  

 

 

• Amazing Face. My friend Jamie introduced me to Amazing Face face moisturizer, and it’s really one of the only beauty products I get anxious if I start to run out of. I bring it everywhere. I love the smell of it, I love the natural-but-powerful ingredients in it, and I love the way it makes my skin look and feel. It has Frankincense in it, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite things. Check out all the ingredients here. AMAZING FACE! It’s so good. I order it on Amazon or I grab it from a couple of health food stores in NYC that have it. (If you’re in NYC you can find it at Live Live in the East Village, or at Lifethyme in the West Village).

 

• Sleep Mask. Oh, this thing is my best friend. I started using a sleep mask a few years ago when I went on a yoga retreat to Vermont. All of us on the retreat slept in the same room, and the morning sun streaming into the windows was bright. The combination of an awesome sleep mask + earplugs made it so I barely noticed I was sleeping in a room with 15 other people. I could have slept all day. ;) From that moment on, I’ve slept with a sleep mask every single night. It just feels comforting and cozy. Sometimes I even keep my sleep mask on my forehead for the first hour of the day as I’m drinking tea and writing because it makes me feel comforted. :)  This is the one I like the best, even though people say it looks like I have a bra on my face.

• Parvati Fragrance (Goddess of Perseverance). This is my go-to scent and I love it more than any scent I’ve ever smelled. It’s vanilla and smells like freshly baked sugar cookies. I love the way it smells…and it’s a roll-on which makes me feel really warm and happy. There are lots of other wonderful scents in the Goddess line, but the vanilla is my favorite. Also, I’ve always felt like Parvati was a pretty hip lady. I love that she’s the Goddess of Perserverance.

So there you go. 6 things I use every day. There are more, but many of them come and go, and these 6 have all been pretty steadfast for awhile now. What are some of the things you use on a daily basis that make you feel great? The things you definitely could live without…but you don’t want to? :)

Thanks for being on the ride with me,
Jenny

PS – My entire “ideal” daily routine along with a huge list of my favorite products is included in my Rapid Reset Guide. (20% off with code feelgood)