A Gallery of Photos: White

Perking Up

I recently bumped into something that perked me up immediately--The Little Book of Hygge, Danish Secrets to Happy Living by Meik Wiking who calls himself the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.  "Hygge" is a Danish word (pronounced hoo-ga) which the jacket describes as being about "savoring the simple pleasures in life."  Such as staying in with "your tribe" on a winter's eve with board games, a luscious dessert, and cups of hot chocolate or mulled wine.  All ways, the author adds, that Danes manage to survive their dark, miserable winters.

So I decided to come up with a perking-up list of my own.

• First, think spring!
• Engage in, appreciate, and promote humor.  (Think Norman Cousins, the vitamin C man, who in conquering an illness, watched Marx Brothers movies regularly so that he could have the body-and-soul benefit of some good guffaws.)
• Sit in candlelight (or firelight) some evenings.  No electricity.
• Go on a news/media fast.  (Think Dr. Andrew Weil, the holistic health guru, who speaks of the health benefits of no-news/ media.)
• Eat chocolate.
• Buy yourself some daffodils.
• Get out in nature.  Hikes are good.  Family picnics. 
• Plan your garden so that it will be filled with flowers.  Or your windowsill with herbs.
• Give someone a surprise gift.  I received a surprise bouquet recently; I can't describe what pleasure it gave me!
• Play a musical instrument on a regular basis.  Or sing.  Or take lessons.  
• Laugh with your book group.   If you don't have one, start one.  (Ours is currently reading Annie Dillard's An American Childhood.  Highly recommended.)
• Come up with a worthy project:  beginning your memoirs, serving in a soup kitchen, decluttering something, learning to sing jazz, clearing out your storage unit ...
• Appreciate!  Beauty, flexibility, a new understanding about something, a pet, a wise choice you once made, a good night's sleep, your tribe ... 

And right now I appreciate March because all those wintry months are finally taking a powder.  Whoopee!!