Just around Groundhog Day I find myself in a self-imposed winter exile. I stay home, write, read, practice yoga and eat simply. But by week’s end I usually have Saturday Night Cabin Fever and feel restless. It’s especially hard around Mardi Gras (Feb 13 this year) when I long to prance in the streets with my New Orleans pals sans heavy coat and scarf. I enviously follow friends on Facebook who are living or traveling in warmer climates snapping selfies in their sarongs and sun dresses Yes, my MOJO has FOMO (fear of missing out).
That said, a recent article I read in Time Magazine says my quiet country life is The New Thing. It’s cool to be cozy and warm. In fact, it’s down-right “Hygge,” which is the Danish term for staying home and cozying up. Yes! I’m getting Hygge with it!
There’s even a book on the topic called “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living.” It’s not to be confused with “Lykke,” a Scandinavian term for “happiness.” That’s another book called “The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People.” The author of both is Meik Wiking, who is CEO of The Happiness Research Institute and Research Associate for Denmark at the World Database of Happiness. I wonder if it’s a happy place to work.
Leave it to the Scandinavians to coin a term that puts a positive spin on their long winters. I always thought they were brooding heavy drinkers when daylight dims. Evidently, they are a happy lot year-round these days. It’s not all vodka and salted cod any more. The Scandinavians have swept through the culinary world. Now they may be serving up the secret to contentment.
So if you practice hygge, you may just feel more lykke, and you won’t feel so SAD (seasonal affective disorder) or feel the FOMO. But you don’t need to buy a best-selling book to learn the secret of finding happiness. It’s really no secret at all. Just do what you love and love what you do and be grateful for both. And stop wondering where you’re not and making the best of where you are.
Who knew my quiet country life would be so trendy? Now, back to the cozy fire.
Photo ID 80643694 © Nataliaderiabina | Dreamstime.com
