I stepped outside and took a deep breath of the brisk air. Fall is here, and it’s a beautiful time to be in the Heartland. The combines are busy in the field … not as busy as the farmers would like because of the frequent showers we’ve had, but harvest season has arrived.
I am one of those strange people – my favorite season is whichever season we are currently in. Except, admittedly, in February. I am ready to be done with winter in February. Other than that, it’s a blessing to be a Midwesterner and to get to experience the glorious changing of four very distinct seasons.
My friends and I have officially begun talking about hygge again. Hygge is pronounced “hue-ga” and is a Danish concept that is hard to translate into English but encompasses a feeling of coziness, contentment, and well-being through enjoying simple pleasures. 
Hot cocoa. Wool socks. Reading by the fireplace. A warm afghan and a movie on a rainy day. Candles and good company. Oversized sweaters. Slowness and being present. These things are all very hyggelig (hygge-like).
It’s been rainy here this week, and I’m looking forward to making soup and enjoying some really good bread with friends tonight. An evening of candles and laughter sounds just about right.
Anticipation is the seed of JOY, and there are so many promises in the change of seasons. As summer gives way to fall, there is the promise of cooler temperatures and harvest, of a spectacular array of colors as the leaves change and God again paints our world in beauty.
I remember as a child that there were things you could only get by going to certain places. Belgian lace was bought in Belgium. Devonshire cream could be found in England. And Nutella had not yet found its way to US grocery stores. The world is a different place now, and the popularity of the internet and cheap shipping have made a global marketplace something we take for granted. There are very few things that are only found in their original location.
In many ways, we all cheer the convenience of literally having the world at our fingertips and almost any material desire a simple two day shipping delay away. Yet, I grieve the commonness of having everything so easily available. What is special anymore?
So, I push back a bit and choose to deny myself certain pleasures for most of the year, saving them and keeping them as part of what represents hygge to me. I wait to drink cocoa and break out my oversized sweaters and flannel shirts. I save my knitting and my crockpots of soup for this season as well. It is one small way that I embrace the joy of the little things that life offers. It keeps the wonder in the daily for me, and helps me to see everything as if for the first time. Anticipation truly is the seed of JOY, and I’m thankful for how this season rebirths in my heart a sense of gratitude for the simple pleasures of my life.
Fall is here, and things are feeling rather hygge at my home this week. How about you? What do you save as special? What are you enjoying again as if for the very first time?
Author Laurie Sorensen’s official weekday title is “Learning Architect” for HTG Peer Groups. Professionally and personally Laurie travels expierencing God through relationships all over the world. Having grown up on an Iowa farm she still has a home here in the Midwest. This post was originally published via an e-mail publication that her father originated and writes 6 days a week. Laurie has begun to write for him once weekly carrying on her father’s vision. Legacy is a core value of Laurie and her family. They intentionally teach legacy planning. She is a friend of Treasure Chest Ministries. If you would like to contact Laurie start by contacting us at TCM@treasurechestministries.org
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