Hygge Highlights #18

Finding Hygge in the Heaviness

I know for many of us, myself included these past couple of weeks have been and continue to be extremely heavy to hold. I am personally very conscious of the heaviness. I feel distressed and helpless, it’s difficult to know whether to, or how to respond? And if I don’t say anything, what will people make of that? Imposter syndrome stings harder and for longer.

It’s seems ridiculous to go on about feeling sexy with Beltane approaching, and let’s be honest, I’m simply not feeling it this weekend. That’s life.

Rainbow Before the Storm on Election Day - All photos my own

Life can sometimes feel as an endless conveyor belt of pain or disappointments. At home struggles and our own survival tested, the sheer utter terror of what is unfolding in other corners of the world. It is heavy.

I hold my family members close. I linger longer tucking the youngest into bed. I’m extremely blessed and fortunate, knowing his happy cheeky face will greet me again in the morning. My “Energizer bunny” recharged and sporting his wild messed up bed hair, ready to devour his breakfast.

Hygge = “hoo-gah” from Danish, meaning “the essence of what is good.”

"Hygge Highlights" is a weekly ramble of ideas and thoughts with the intent to create, and, or identify more magic and cosy feelings in our everyday. With your help ! through comments and chats, I also hope to recount and share our magical experiences, moments which felt especially good or gave us a sense warmth and wonder.

Collectively manifesting hope for the future and growing a community “High on Hygge”.

So how do we find hygge when the world feels so incredibly heavy?

Where or what is the antidote? Well, I have no bloody idea! Do you?

I did come up with this… “Light” is an opposite to “heavy.” “Lightness of being” perhaps an opposite to “Heaviness of heart.”

We know what this heavy stuff is. We (empathic we) have all seen and felt it, in nearly everywhere we have been, looked and read recently. This heaviness is a thick and suffocating fog in the air currently.

Let’s look to the light.

Light in different measures and weight. How do you measure lightness? Or create light?

Despite how inadequate lights are in this heavy fog, we need to turn them on. The full beam. We must turn to the light, share our light. Share the heavy load, that we may remove some of the weight and take the strain off others, and in turn feel our own weights lifted.

“Lightness” I believe can be found in many forms and places.

When our electricity was out last weekend we spent more time outdoors, it is brighter and lighter for longer. We soaked in vitamin D. The air was fresher outside (I acknowledge unfortunately this is not the case for everyone.) While Mother Nature showed us her fury with crazy scary wind and numerous and large fallen trees. She also held us through, keeping us warm and bright, solar recharging our phones and lanterns for the night.

Food, especially those foods which are bathed in sunlight; fruit and vegetables, whole foods, whole grains are all great forms of light. Fungi are fantastic source of vitamin D and edible flowers bring a lightness of cheer to salads and meals. Food is also the ideal lightness to share with others, building longer tables and appreciation for new ideas, backgrounds and culture.

I personally find lightness in creativity too, sometimes it’s through the necessity of mending and cooking. Other times it’s purely for pleasure as in gathering and arranging florals, or fluffing around with art supplies and magazine scraps. Sometimes it’s bleaching and dyeing our Spike’s swede a new shade or a rainbow of colour. J says I’m a writer now too, although I’m yet to believe it.

Humour; there’s a lightness to laughter, perhaps the best medicine of all. I shared a dry wit with my late Poppa (maternal grandfather) that would often breeze over the heads of many in the room. The most wonderful man was Poppa, he drove ambulances in Egypt during WWII, he saw and lived through unimaginable suffering, of which he never spoke of, save how many bags of coke was needed for an amputated leg. The only other person I know or have ever met who understands Poppa’s kind of humour perfectly and shares his exact kind of wit is my darling J.

While this quote isn’t new or even rarely used, it’s one that has played in my head a lot in the past few days.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that” - Martin Luther King Jr.

“Only light can do that.”

Wishing you all much lightness and love.

Arohanui / Big Love

Seasons Blessings 💫

Bron