Hygge: Part 1 – What is Hygge and Why Do You Need it in Your Life?

Pretty recently I came across the topic of Hygge and was absolutely intrigued. Almost immediately after learning what it was, I went out and bought The Little Book of Hygge – Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking. And so began my infatuation with the simple, comforting and beautiful way the Danes live their lives.

Ah, I’m sure you, too, are intrigued and you’re probably ready to know (if you haven’t already blown this post off and just Googled it) :

What is Hygge? And how in the the world do you pronounce it?

Hygge (hue-guh) is, to use Mr. Wiking’s words, “…about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down.”

Hygge is sipping hot cocoa by the fire in your favorite pair of socks.
Hygge is Christmas, early evening, when the food is almost ready, the lighting is dim and glowy, and everyone’s hearts are buzzing with warmth and comfort.
Hygge is relaxing at your favorite brick walled, dimly-lit coffee shop, listening to indie music and taking it all in.
Hygge is wrapping up in your favorite blanket, bra off, hair up, watching a snow storm consume your neighborhood while you watch from the comfort of the indoors.

Hygge is everything comfortable, warm, and relaxing. It’s togetherness, music, pastries and candlelight. Hygge is, to generalize; happiness.

Why do you need Hygge in your life?

The reason the concept of Hygge struck me so hard, is mostly due in part to the fact that, like Denmark, Montana has long, grueling winters. Part of my research lead me to uncover that many years ago, the Danes came up with a way to combat the notorious depression that can set in when you live in a place with crazy-long winters.
It was a new way of life, a way to embrace the long “depressing” winters, rather than dread them. They yearned for a way to look forward to the frigid, dark season ahead of them, so they created one!

It’s inspiring, if you ask me. And I feel like we Americans, and especially us that live in the North (Montana) could really, truly benefit from bringing Hygge into our lives.

The winters are long, and I know from 18 + years of living in the Flathead Valley that there are still thousands of people here that haven’t found a way to cope with the way a long winter makes them feel.
I want everyone to have the opportunity to find pure and blissful joy by embracing the cold season, rather than trying to escape it or complain about it.

So grab some close friends and family, light a few candles, climb into your Hyggekrog, and delve into the wonderful life that is Hygge.
I encourage you to do some of your own research.
Hop on Pinterest and create a Hygge Board for inspiration and warm feelings.

And I would also like you to keep your eyes out for Hygge Part 2: How to Embrace Hygge in your Everyday Life… where we’ll talk about things you can do to make your life more Hygge.

See you soon.

(photo sources: source, source, source, source, source )

S E P T E M B E R

september

Do you ever have those moments where you find a quote online and you think “holy crap, it’s almost like who ever wrote that can see straight into my soul”?
That’s what happened to me when I found this heavenly little blurb by Peggy Toney Horton.

I don’t want to seem cliche, but for me it feels like while everything begins to die in September, I finally come to life.
I know what you’re thinking, “come to life? In what sense were you NOT alive?”.
The 3 endless months of hot dry weather assassinated my soul, okay?

As the weather cools off, the leaves turn orange, and the clouds finally roll in – I settle into my absolute favorite half of the year: fall & winter.
I simply do not belong in 80 degree weather. I hate being hot, I don’t enjoy sweating,  and I hate the fact that I can’t achieve a comfortable temperature by removing layers in the summer, like I can in the fall by adding them. You can only get SO naked, you know? Yeah, you know. You know exactly what I’m talking about.

What I don’t want happening this fall is for me to spend 3 months gawking at the orange leaves from the mundane comfort of home, and not getting out to truly enjoy them.
So I’m making PLANS; if Montana ever stops being on fire… that is.

My September plans will definitely seep into October and November, seeing as the state of Montana isn’t expected to have it’s wildfires under control for quite some time. So for the sake of the entire North West, you all better be praying to the weather god for rain – or whatever you do. (;

Here’s what I’ve got going on…

Farmers Markets:
I’m mostly interested in the the Kalispell Farmer’s Market. It’s close by, easy to access, and there aren’t a million people there. I look forward to a few brisk Saturday mornings, latte in hand, enjoying the plethora of autumn’s harvest: sunflowers, fresh corn, apples and pumpkins. I intend to get out and enjoy one of Whitefish’s Farmers Markets too. (they’re just a little more hectic).

Sweet Pickins Pumpkin Patch:
Now, apparently this place has been around for a long time. I don’t remember ever going to it, AND it seems fairly aimed at families with kids.. But Paul and I are DEFINITELY going. We usually just buy pumpkins the day before Halloween which is great, but how much more enjoyable would it be to go to a pumpkin patch and pick your own, all while getting to enjoy a fricken Autumn Wonderland. I mean, LOOK at this place! Little slice of autumn heaven.

PicMonkey Collage

Much more sitting at Colter Coffee:
This is one of my favorite past times. I used to come to Colter Coffee after school to “do homework” all the time. (I really just sat around with books in front of me, sipping coffee or chai). The vibe inside Colter is really what people are after though. There isn’t anything else like it (IMO), especially not in Kalispell. Now, if you were to head over to say, Portland or Seattle, there would be something similar on every street corner. But we just have one, which makes it that much more special. Colter Coffee definitely has the hygge factor that I’m constantly seeking out. (Side note: We’ll go over hygge in the near future, promise. Just google it for now.)
(Extra side note: I’m not a Starbucks hang out kind of gal, so don’t even SUGGEST that their atmosphere beats out Colter, don’t you dare).

Lots of reading, hopefully outdoors:
I thoroughly enjoy the idea of laying in a wooded thicket, sipping on hot tea, bundled up in a cable knit throw – reading the afternoon away.. That’s not super realistic though, so I’ll settle for a ton of reading, anywhere, anytime. I have a ton of books on my current lineup, three of which I’ve already started.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Queen J.K. Rowling
You Are a Badass – Jen Sincero
The Little Book of Hygge – Meik Wiking
You Are a Badass at Making Money – Jane Sincero
And a few others, I wont bore you.
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A few fall hikes at GNP:
If the poor park makes it through this damn fire season, I’d love to make it up there for at least a few hikes. It absolutely kills me that it’s on fire. Just one more reason to believe that summer’s the worst. Drought, 80+ degrees every day, & thousands of people crowding our beautiful Glacier National Park = not my idea of a good time. I like to go to the park in the spring and fall. Plus, those mountains are just way prettier when they’re snow capped.

 

So that’s what I have going on for September. Along with the obvious: lot’s of working, sleeping, coffee and studying.
What am I missing? What do you guys do in September?

Back to the Drawing Board (Kind Of)

back to the drawing board

Very recently, I was attempting to last-minute enroll into college. The process didn’t go as planned and I came to the realization that waiting was the logical and responsible choice.

The degree I chose to pursue was Graphic Design – something I’ve established a pretty strong interest in over the past few years. I was unfortunately not someone who found their academic niche right out of high school, therefore I felt as though it was simply a waste of money to attempt furthering my education at the time.

But something I DID discover right out of high school was my love of blogging. In hindsight I realize that I fell in love with blogging because I felt as though it was my only outlet to continue writing after graduation.

Throughout my erratic high school career, the one and only thing that was constant for me was writing. I adored any English class I was in. I loved writing essays, short stories, poetry, and even in diaries/journals. English was the only subject in school that gave me any form of fulfillment, and the only thing I felt I honestly excelled at.

So to no surprise, when I was required to write a 300-500 word essay for my placement testing in order to apply for college, I lit up. I hunkered down, turned on The Lumineers radio, and I busted out (with ease), a 500 word 5 paragraph essay… As if it were something I did on a regular basis.

And it all clicked. Furthering my education, however I end up going about that, is exceedingly important to me. Graphic Design is 100% something I intend to turn into a career… But writing has been, is, and always will be something that I am profoundly passionate about… and how lucky am I to have blogging as a platform to share my greatest passion with anyone who cares to read it?

So what does this mean for me and my future? I can say with total certainty that I have no idea. What I do know is that I’d love to spend a lot of my time writing. I want to create an e-space full of wonderful, read-worthy content: stunning self-produced photos, beautiful graphics, and words that actually mean something. And what I know I don’t want is a generic blog full of shit that I don’t actually care about sharing.

I love clothes too though so don’t think you’re getting out of outfit posts here and there.

I’ll get there. I’ll run an awesome, consistent blog. I’ll wow you with just how mundane my life really is, and also with my ability to make it seem as though it’s not. I’ll do what I’m passionate about – and I won’t curate my content to “what I think is going to get me the most reads/followers”. I just want to be here, being my truest self, sharing my life with whoever wants to “listen”.

Hopefully you’re down with that – and hopefully I can entertain at least a few individuals with my musings. But if not, you can always go watch dog videos, or read articles entitled “Celebrities and the Surprising Nicknames they’ve Given their Genitals” or something along those lines. I don’t know – there’s plenty to do on the WWW. (Side note – I just came to the realization that World Wide Web does in fact correlate with the www we put at the beginning of web addresses – oops).

But here’s to getting back to the drawing board, or whatever. Coming to realizations. Beginning new adventures. Figuring my life out – whatever that means.
Here’s to being one step closer to knowing exactly what it is that sets my soul on fire.

And this journey will entail ample amounts of wine & coffee, lots of spilling my heart out, hopefully a college degree?, but definitely, definitely a lot more time spent doing what I love.


W R I T I N G.

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