are you cozy, eh?

in reading this book, "cozy:  the art of arranging yourself in the world" by isabel gillies, i had a phrase and voice come to mind immediately.  my grandma smith would always say to me, "are you cozy, lanette, *eh?"  (*we're canadian)

such a happy memory, that i found myself making a list of everything that makes me feel cozy.  in gillies' words, "cozy is an attitude, not a thing--a shortcut to bringing the most essential parts of ourselves with us wherever we go.  once you put your finger on what makes you feel solid, supported, and calm, you can arrange yourself in a world that can be cold, awkward, dangerous, inauthentic, and unpredictable...perhaps it's in those hours that we most need to call on our authentic selves."

i appreciate that it's not all hot cocoa and warm socks, she alludes to divorce and death in ways that let me know they are no longer wounds for her but rather scars that tell stories of hope.  such an enjoyable read!

my list of what makes me feel or remember cozy was much longer than this, but i'll try to stick to a top ten.  most of them are nostalgic:

-putting grandma's makeup on for her after she went blind
-collecting fresh eggs in early morning light
-sleeping under the quilt hand sewn by great grandma nettie
-canning applesauce
-grandpa's fedora
-climbing trees
-real maple syrup and having breakfast for dinner on sunday nights
-worn wooden spoons and cutting boards
-listening to records
-chopping wood for a woodstove

what's on your top list of cozy?

Comments

  1. •playing under the piano while my dad played
    •lying in bed listening to my mom sew on her machine in the attic above me
    •tracing the lines of rain on the window from the backseat of a warm car
    •a cup of cocoa from a fancy machine at a restaurant
    •reading a book for pleasure by the fireplace
    •my baby cuddled against me after her bedtime feeding
    •a blanket or pillow fort with some favorite toys in it
    •putting on a warm scarf for the first time each season
    •taking lecture notes in a nice heated classroom
    •the best colors together on something woolly!

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