Those of you living in Southern California might have noticed that we are near the beginning of a week-long storm. Those of you in Michigan would probably laugh at what we consider to be a “storm” (most of us will experience it as heavy rain), but consider this: SoCal Residents aren’t used to the kind of weather you are.
Even when I lived in Michigan, I found the rainy season more difficult to put up with than the snow storms for one simple reason: light. While snow is freezing cold and has to be shoveled off of everything, at least it reflects sunlight magnificently. It’s also fun to play with. Rain just gets everything wet, causes car crashes, and blots out the sun. Because Angelenos are not used to rain, we tend not to cope with it well. Car crashes numbers go up, and people get crabby. Fortunately, there are fewer cars on the road right now to cause crashes, but the mood problem remains: when the sun vanishes and we can’t leave our homes, what are we to do? This issue is more serious than it sounds, as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a very real psychological condition that people suffer from. It’s less common in places like LA that are usually bathed in sunlight, but is generally characterized by lethargy and depression. Theories abound as to why this happens, but they tend to revolve around the body’s need for sunlight. Ironically, the best evidence I see for this theory is a Scandinavian country which, despite its terrible weather, is consistently ranked the happiest in the world--Denmark. Most of the official theories about why they’re so happy revolve around their progressive welfare system. (Maybe there’s something to that; not being terrified of being left homeless and destitute tends to improve one’s shot at happiness.) However, that doesn’t explain how they manage to be so happy despite their terrible weather. A few years ago, I went to Denmark, in part to figure this out, and discovered something simple but profound: culturally, they are obsessed with lighting. While American architecture and design has its moments, on the whole, we’re a fairly utilitarian culture when it comes to light. Can I use it to see? Great! Who cares if it’s pretty or not? Meanwhile, Denmark burns more candles per capita than any other country in the world and even budget hotels have nice lighting fixtures. My husband and I visited an American-themed restaurant in Copenhagen, and were amused by how they got everything about an American diner right except for a smattering of candles all over the place. When we went walking through the city, we saw candles everywhere. Taking a cue from the Danish, I burned candles constantly through the following winter, and for the first winter in years, I skipped my seasonal meltdown. For those of you who know me well, this seasonal breakdown is no joke; it tends to include the words “I hate Christmas!” and involve lots of tears. (I don’t really hate Christmas, just the standard American way of doing it.) While curing the winter blues isn’t as simple as lighting a candle, it’s an intentional step to include what the Danish call “living light” into one’s space to create what they call hygge. Hygge is an untranslatable Danish term that is all about the comfort and joy found in small things. While American versions of happiness tend to be about adventure, excitement, and really wild things, hygge is quieter. It’s about enjoying the small home comforts like a pot of stew simmering on the stove, playing a card game inside with one’s loved ones while a storm rages on outside, or baking some of the dense cake the Danish love so much. (The Danish get away with eating a lot of cake because they tend to ride their bikes to work. Every book I read on Danish culture had rapturous things to say about cake and how a salad just isn’t the same. I disagree; I find salad very comforting, but hey, to each their own!) To weather the darkness of the current storm and the isolation of social distancing, embrace hygge. Intentionally seek out happiness wherever you can make it right where you are. Light a candle, wrap a soft blanket around your shoulders, and make yourself a hot drink. I think one of the big reasons the Danish are happier, on balance, than my fellow Angelenos is because in the absence of our eternal sunshine, they are more proactive about making and seeking beautiful light anywhere they can, and with light, happiness.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJillian Lutes is the youth pastor at West Covina Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church. Archives
May 2020
Categories |