“A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy can live.” ~ Bertrand Russell
The universe will tell you whether or not you’re on the right path, but it doesn’t always signal loudly or blatantly. It requires stillness and quiet and, though it seems counterintuitive, a condition of not being hyper-focused or aware. A lighter touch, if you will, sprinkled with the nonchalance to be able to exist without forcing anything. I’ve always been able to follow those signs, however, even if my heart was so often and otherwise a turbulent riot, as Fitzgerald once put it. Though the signs may not be as glaring or blaring as we might like for easy notice, they are there if we know how to look for them, if we allow ourselves to pay attention to the little things that make all the difference. A case of this is my recent foray and obsession with the notion of hygge, which dovetails in ideal alignment with the idea of mindfulness.
“It must be emphasized that hygge entails commitment to the present moment and a readiness to set distractions aside.” ~ Judith Friedman Hansen
In the above quote, hygge is posited to have the very same requirements for mindfulness. It’s about committing to the present moment, putting distractions to the side, and focusing on the immediate here and now.
The flickering candle flames that dance and wave like little oceans of light.
The curling trails of water vapor rising from a cup of hot tea.
The sound of your own breathing as you wait for the tea to cool, and the way you can deepen and lengthen it, more fully inhabiting the moment and pushing other worries and concern into the distance.
It’s the sense of stillness and quiet when you shut out the rest of the world, silencing phones and notifications and computer screens. It’s the initial thoughts of what you need to remember for work the next day, or what you need to pick up from the market that night, or what you need to check on once you finish this cup of tea. And it’s letting them go so you can sip and come back to yourself so you can be better and calmer and kinder when you eventually end up getting to all of those responsibilities.
This is the winter where hygge and mindfulness meet in cozy and calm connection, and it’s a meeting that will go on in magnificence the year round.
