In
the darkest of times, with cold winds and raging storms all around, the
Danish have devised a weapon of first resort. A weapon that can
eliminate, or at least diminish, the feelings of stress, sadness, and
hopelessness that often arise in their long, dark, cold winters. That
weapon is “hygge.”
Pronounced
“hue-guh,” the concept is not easily translated into English but is
most often equated with “cosiness.” Hygge is further associated with a
comfortable conviviality and contentment.
Hygge
encompasses not only the ambiance of the room (think cushy chairs and
wood-burning fireplaces) but also includes dress (flannels and woolen
socks), food (porridge and hot cocoa), and company (close friends and
meaningful conversations). Their propensity for creating hygge is one
reason why the Danish, in spite of their long winters, have been called
“the happiest people on earth.”
The United Nations has recognized happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and declared March 20th as the International Day of Happiness.
To do our small part in boosting the art and science of happiness,
Harmony Moon will be posting suggestions and happy thoughts on our facebook and twitter
pages throughout the month of March. Please join us in helping to
increase happiness, health, and hyyge for all the world’s people.
To get you started, on the right is the GREAT DREAM poster from the Action for Happiness. It is a science-based “10 Keys to Happier Living." To read more about the Danish concept of "hygge," try these resources:
Think outside the box this holiday season. Instead of shopping at "big box" or national chain stores, shop instead at your local neighborhood stores. You'll find your neighborhood "mom-n-pop" shops have most everything you need for your holiday gift-giving and home decorating.
And you're much more likely to discover some unexpected wonder or unique handmade treasure at a locally-owned shop.
Shopping at locally-owned independent shops also helps strengthen the local economy. Did you know that:
A locally-owned shop returns 68% of its revenues to the local economy, whereas a national chain returns only 43%?
Locally-owned shops employ more local residents and pay them substantially higher wages, in addition to having a broader range of jobs available?
Local businesses buy more than twice as much from other local businesses, and also are more likely to use local banks and other service providers?
Local businesses contribute more to the community through charitable giving, school funding, and other non-profit organizations?
Every dollar spent in a locally-owned shop is a vote for the health and welfare of your community and supports your neighbors in their livelihoods. This holiday season, think "outside the box" and support your locally-owned stores. Your neighbors thank you!
"Kitten season" is upon us once again, This annual ritual starts in late spring and usually runs through early fall. What is kitten season, you ask? Kitten season is the time of year when millions of homeless kittens will be born in the streets, parking lots, highway rest areas, and woods all across America. They will largely die - killed by starvation, cars, or predators - before they reach six months old. The lucky ones will end up in shelters, only to be euthanized two or three weeks later when no homes are found for them.
Here are three things you can do to help:
(1) spay or neuter your pets (2) spay or neuter your pets (3) spay or neuter your pets
And if you're looking for a new companion, please consider adopting a homeless dog or cat from your local shelter.
At Mindful Hands, we work with a local no-kill shelter, King Street Cats, to help find homes for the many pregnant cats and their kittens that end up in the shelter's care each spring.
We will be hosting a series of adopt-a-thons for the King Street Cats (KSC) at Mindful Hands' store location at 211 King Street in Old Town Alexandria. The next adopt-a-thons will take place on Saturdays August 8 and August 22 from noon to 4:00pm each day. The King Street Cats currently have sixty kittens looking for loving homes. Won't you be a friend indeed to a kitten in need?
When Anita Edgar, a grandmother from Devon, England, vacationed in India one winter, she was horrified at the hundreds of children living in abject poverty and forced to beg in the streets for a miserable living. When Edgar returned to England, she packed her belongings and went back to India, determined to help these street children however she could.
That was thirteen years ago and she's never looked back. The charity she founded now operates four orphanages, three night shelters, and three independent-living cottages for older children in and around Goa, India. It also operates a children's hospital and "Manna on Wheels," a free food-distribution program. Altogether, the charity's residential programs care for more than two thousand of India's street children. We are pleased and honored to host Ms. Edgar at Mindful Hands (211 King St, Old Town Alexandria, Virginia) on Thursday, June 18, from 12:30 - 1:30pm. Bring a brown-bag lunch and come hear Ms. Edgar's riveting talk on the activities of her charity and the lives of the street children, both before and after their rescue from the slums of India. Like the film, Slumdog Millionaire, her tale is both profoundly heartbreaking and sublimely uplifiting. Please join us.
To learn more about the El-Shaddai Charitable Trust, visit www.childrescue.net.
One of my favorite quotes is from Elwood P. Dowd, of Harvey fame:
"To get along in this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant."
Of course, Elwood was also an alcoholic and I certainly can't recommend taking to drink to get along in this world. However, it seems to me that we can all benefit by taking a page from the book of Elwood. You only have to turn the TV to any "reality" show to see that we are now living in a world that encourages conflict, competitiveness, and the demeaning and humiliation of others. Yet, the participants on these shows don't seem to be happy. In fact, they seem to be living largely unhappy, complicated, and conflict-ridden lives.
I have to agree with Mr. Dowd, there's a lot to be said for being pleasant. Elwood largely avoided conflict by trying to be as agreeable as possible to those around him. He helped when he could, shared what he had, and tried to get along with everyone. He found everyone interesting and listened to their stories with fascination and appreciation. People liked being around him because he cared.
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." (Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse) We've all certainly experienced an act of kindness - a memorable event when someone, perhaps even a complete stranger, came to our aid when we least expected it: a flat tire changed, a casserole baked, a helping hand with a heavy load. When we are at the receiving end of an act of kindness, no matter how small, we experience lowered stress levels and a lift in our spirits.
Apparently, so does the giver of the good deed. In recent years, there has been a host of research studies that indicate that doing good can indeed be good for you. "Helper's high," the rush of adrenaline that altruistic people can sometimes feel after doing a good deed for someone else, has been linked to lowered stress levels, improved immunity from illness, and longer life, in addition to a general sense of calm and positive well-being. And these feelings lead to the desire to do more good deeds, thus lifting your own spirits as well as those of whom you help.
According to Stephen G. Post, PhD, a professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a prominent researcher in the study of the biological effects of altruism, "All the great spiritual traditions and the field of positive psychology are emphatic on this point -- that the best way to get rid of bitterness, anger, rage, jealousy is to do unto others in a positive way" (WebMD).
And so, as counter-intuitive as it may seem, if you're feeling anxious, stressed, or depressed (and who isn't in today's economy?), the best way to help yourself is by helping others.
