Recently, I read an inspiring note, rather a love letter all dedicated to Autumn and it’s wonderful vibes, the heaps of inspiration it brings and the time where magic happens. And I couldn’t believe the different perceptions that people might have at this very same time of the year whereas I myself am the antonym of that love letter, feeling nothing else but the tragic death of my wonderful soulmate Summer.
When October comes, almost exactly counting 12 o’clock at midnight, the season of darkness and frost kicks in to my subconsciousness and I feel like I should lock up the door that very minute and put the key away somewhere safely till April comes again. In this time of the year I would like to sit (and sleep) at the fireplace, cook stews and cakes and cookies, read books, light candles and listen to lots and lots of music, even better - play and sing along with a little circle of likeminded folks. Wet shoes, snow storms, howling wind - all behind the light string lit window. With one exception - taking a wonderful long walk on a sunny frosty Christmas Day, layers upon layers of snow included. But mostly I feel the urge to hibernate like an exemplary nordic bear in the wintertime. Also, relocate my house somewhere close to a forest and a mountain side, please. That’s my ideal off-season dream to which I absolutely could write blocks of love letters with sketches and drawings.
But meanwhile, my eyes have to get used to the big amounts of unnatural light, and there better be plenty of light. My body goes through a few rough days of temperature adaptation, my nose practically doesn’t stop running and my mood is left on a playground swing. All I want to say is, that given the circumstances of a life in a city - it is a tough month for me, it's a time for adaptation and acceptance, a mental and physical preparation for frequent light change / temperature change / diet change on daily basis, which leads to a few weeks of confused moods for a little while.
Luckily, my dear friend Sevda once again read my thoughts across thousands of kilometres away and asked me in a message ‘do you know hygge?’ as if that would be a friend of hers whom I should finally meet. In addition, she sent me this wonderful article summing up my needs, feelings and urges into one danish cozy lifestyle word - hygge. There’s also this word ‘koselig’ - in Norwegian, a German equivalent to ‘kuschelig’, meaning nothing less cute than cuddly. I highly recommend this article as a therapeutic strategy to embrace the upcoming wintertime.
And even though we are half way through the month, I took some time two create two desktop wallpaper versions for October. Feel free to enlarge and download them. Otherwise you can find them here. Enjoy the cold time of the year embracing its indoor perks, practicing hygge straight away.
