Until yesterday, I’d never heard of Hygge (pronounced HOO-gah). However, I’ve been reading Pia Edberg’s book “The Cozy Life: Rediscover the Joy of the Simple Things Through the Danish Concept of Hygge“, and discovering what it is and what it means for me.
What is Hygge?
There is no direct translation into English, however, the nearest thing would be the concept of coziness.
…the art of creating warmth, comfort and wellbeing through connection, treasuring the moment and surrounding yourself with the things you love.
Pia Edberg
What struck me most about this concept was that it kind of combines the whole KonMari/keep the stuff that you love type of thing, with mindfulness, something that I’ve been working towards for a while now. But, it also made me think of the art of homemaking.
Hygge is where the heart and the soul meet.
Homemaker?
When you read about homemakers in some newspapers and magazines, the role of homemaker is pretty much looked down upon. Women are now expected to have careers, raise families and run the home to perfection. And yet, there are only so many hours in the day. Those women who manage this usually have help, in the form of nannies to look after the kids, and housekeepers to run the home.
Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with this, but for me, I’ve come to realise that, in my own typical way, I have my priorities arseways round. Instead of being a reluctant homemaker, I should be embracing this role. Prioritising it even. Afterall, isn’t my primary value around family, and isn’t that what homemaking all about?
So, I’m going to be making a conscious decision to read more about hygge, and the concept of coziness. I’m going to be creating Pinterest boards to identify what coziness means to me for each room of my home.
What this space.
Take care for now
Karen x