A friend recommended the book Cozy, The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World, to me.  I didn’t expect much since I had already dipped into Hygge, the Danish Secrets To Happy Living.  Nice, but not enlightening.  Cozy on the other hand enlightened me.

After reading the table of contents, I expected even less.  But being a good boy, I read the first chapters, then the next.  Author, Isabel Gillies, starts out by suggesting that to be cozy you need to know yourself.  Yeah yeah… I know myself.  But I was surprised at what I learned, some life changing revelations.

One of her chapters is titled, Rivers.  How can rivers be cozy?  Turns out, all the memories and images from my whole growing up years are mapped out on the river that ran through our suburban village, the Ten Mile Creek.  A small flood plain of this river repeatedly shows up in my dreams over decades.  I have skated on this river for miles, gliding behind people’s homes and woodlots.  Magical, secret spaces in my village still touch my heart’s memories.

My youngest daughter, Sasha, has the same thing, but with Lake Washington and the mountains instead of a river.

Isabel doesn’t mention that you need to consult with your inner children and your soul when you think about cozy.   For me,  we can only know ourselves if we consult with them.  And we need to think beyond just physical comforts.

In the midst of the four cultural hurricanes – racial equality, the pandemic, global warming, and the swing to the Big Lie and autocratic government – coziness for our inner children and our souls need to be cared for with gentleness and vigilance.

Slomo is Cozy

Watch this New York Times video of a man known as Slomo because of his apparent slow motion in-line skating at Pacific Beach, CA.  Slomo is John Kitchin a retired neurologist and psychiatrist who in his sixties dropped out of the rat race and designed a cozy life for himself, feeding his soul.  When people watch him, they are fed, too.

John talks about aiming at the heart of his 11 year old.  He talks about being his 11 year old.

I’m aiming at caring for my four year old these days.  Which of your inner children need to be cared for?

May you walk in beauty, with a cozy heart,

William

P.S. Go for it, you and your inner children will benefit

=> Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World by Isabel Gillies

P.P.S. Walking at 6:00 AM in the dark cold rainy Seattle winter feels Cozy for me and my inner children.