In Norway, they have a saying: Det fins ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær. There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.
It’s a version of what my mother always says about the winter (“dress for it”), but I think today is the first time I’ve heard the full phrase and as well as its attribution to Norway. I have mostly Norweigian roots and the connection grounded me.
I heard this on my friend Jenna’s latest episode of her podcast Mental Wealth and Wellness where she talked about shedding the identity of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) and embracing Hygge.
Hygge is a Danish word referring to a quality of coziness that engenders a feeling of contentment and well-being. Every time I walk in the gift shop in Al Johnson’s (a popular Swedish restaurant in Door County) I see books about Hygge surrounded by other Scandanavian curios and warm sweaters. But that’s as far as my awareness stretched: thumbing through a few books while I waited to be seated for pancakes.
This year I might pick one up. My friend’s words came at the right time. I’m about to go home to the cold for the holiday next week and I’m planning on eventually living North permanently even though I struggled with cold weather and short days. Even the weather shift in Austin has left me a little off-kilter. But, as Jenna also cited, the top five happiest countries in the world (according to the 2019 Happiness Report) are Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and The Netherlands. They’ve figured something out.
And while we can’t change our systemic barriers to happiness overnight, we can work on changing our mindset. I can work on changing my mindset.
Because, yes, that Norweigian saying is partly literal — put on a sweater and bundle up — but it is a rephrasing of the more familiar proverb: We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
So let’s keep working on our navigation. Or buy some warmer clothes.
With Love,
Natalie