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Happy New Year!
It’s the New Year! The holiday hustle and bustle have quieted. For many, January is a let-down both in mood and weather. But did you know that the Danes, reportedly the happiest people in the world, may have the answer to what we all need to get us through the bleak winter months and beyond? Embracing a compassionate trend called Hygge!
And it seems that My Sister's Closet, Bloom for Women, our Bloom Creative Studio, our supporters, and our staff and volunteers are all at the forefront of this trend!
If you haven’t heard the word “Hygge” yet, chances are you will. The term can mean many things based on who you’re talking to, but at its core it translates to relishing the simple pleasures in life, gleaning joy from performing service, and nurturing meaningful relationships.
Hygge (pronounced HEW-gah) is a Scandinavian term: A quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders good will. Conviviality? Engendering good will? Have you MET our staff and volunteers?
Hygge is a timeless practice, an everyday mindfulness that comes from a wholehearted participation in life. Hygge is also about having less, enjoying more, leaving a light footprint on the Earth. It’s the pleasure of simply being. The pleasure of simply giving. Being a giver. (Thank you, awesome donors!)
Hygge begs us to slow down and give ourselves a warm hug for the soul. It is a sort of mood or state of mind. It encourages buying goods with sustainable, recyclable, and charitable value. (Thank you, shoppers of My Sister’s Closet!) Hygge-worthy items to look for include candles and bio-friendly lotions (See our Thistle Farms candles, hand care gift sets, body balm, room spray and essential oils!) and items with redeeming social value (Check out our cool selection of custom Bloom t-shirts and sweatshirts!)
The awesome work done at our Bloom Creative Studio in Bangor is right in line with this compassionate Hygge movement! (The Bloom Creative Studio is a social enterprise which leverages art as a healing tool and provides employment opportunities to Bloom’s program participants. It has a gift shop, offers art classes, private parties, and open studio time for DIY crafts including pottery, mosaic and glass fusion. The Studio also provides program participants a safe environment to reconnect with their children and families.)
In "The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well," by CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, author Mark Wiking says that one of the most important things you can do to foster overall wellness for yourself and your environment is to participate in community volunteer work, like a third of the Danish citizens do, and to also strive toward employment and services that serve to make people’s lives better.
So, you can see, the Danes don't have anything on our volunteers and staff at Bloom, My Sister’s Closet and the Bloom Creative Studio!
To all of our supporters, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your ongoing dedication to our mission!
We wish you a Happy (and Hygge!) New Year!
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