Tuesday, January 31, 2012

hygge.

not a typo, i'm just learning some danish. 



i read a cool article on npr yesterday. it talked about the danes, and how despite living in one of the coldest climates ever with the least sunlight, they are among some of the happiest. according to the article, their happiness is derived from this sense of "hygge" (pronounced hYOOguh), the people tend to feel. hygge is described as "cozy", but the type of cozy that is"fireplace warmth with candles and family and friends and food, tucked under blankets on a snowy day, cup-of- coffee conversation, scarf-snuggle, squiggly, warm baby love."  sign me up. hygge embodies the danes lifestyle as they take things slow, make time for people, and don't get too caught up in the everyday living.  i read an article for my living prophets class last night by deiter f. uchtdorf that made me think a little more about the sense of "hygge" it is entitled, "of things that matter most", and when he says that,  "love is spelled T I M E", well, that struck a chord with me. making time for god, your family, your fellow man, and yourself. that is what matters most. 


this sounds like a research paper. bear with me.


i keep having this recurring dream that i take my family to spain. (except for last night. last night i dreamed that two of my friends were both dating justin beiber. that two-timer!) we stay with my host family. they look around bleary eyed as we chat in spanish. i have a helluva time getting to spain because i keep losing my passport, id, yadda yadda. anyway, every time i dream this dream i have this sense of "hygge". it rolls my favorite things, family, spain, quality time, all into one. these are the thoughts i like to dwell upon when life slows down, when it doesn't, and when it should. 


"There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions."- Deiter F. Uchtdorf


this week i am going to make a conscious effort to live in my hygge, even if that just means waking up 2 hours earlier  than i need to, simply to make breakfast, sit under a blanket in the quiet, and enjoy.

1 comment:

The Ball Babies said...

Yeah, I like the dream where you take us all to Spain. I like it a lot!