Venture Out

I hope you have all had a wonderful Monday.  Now, please take a moment to sit back and relax.  Enjoy that cup of coffee and reminisce about the beauty of life.  Hygge is most often associated with cold days, warm cozy blankets and comfort food.  However a hygge lifestyle is not bound to just one or two seasons, it is an everyday lifestyle and a year round mindset.  This week I want you to take yourself outside.  Here in the Southern Hemisphere we are blessed with the most beautiful summer nights yet we tend to spend our lives inside.  When was the last time you sat outside in the garden at twilight and watched the sun set in the distance?  When was the last time you counted the stars and searched for the different constellations?  I remember the many hushed conversations my parents had as they sat on the stoep after dinner.  Their voices were carried on the night air and found their way in through my bedroom window.  I would fall asleep to my dad's voice as he pointed out the stars to my mom.  Over weekends I would join them outside and tried to count as many stars as I could.  I usually fell asleep before I got to a hundred!  The scent of warm balmy nights still transport me back to those idyllic childhood days.  I treasure those memories of soft music coming from the hi-fi and the intoxicating smell of jasmine.  A warm feeling of belonging and safety, an uncomplicated life.  I invite you to take a trip to the outside this week.  Stroll through your garden at dusk, drink a beverage of choice under the stars, enjoy a meal out on the grass or stroll through your neighbourhood and great your neighbours, especially those who have also been enticed to venture outside by this post (wink wink)!