God rejse

Danish hygge has become a genre unto itself, as The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well turns into a bestseller.

While there is hardly an English equivalent for the Danish word hygge, we can simply feel it, and forget about its translation. An oft-quoted idea of hygge is a bike ride in the pouring rain with a candle on the heads. Or eating cakes.

To coin my own way of hygge from scratch, I grabbed my running shoes right after waking up at six today. More hobby than workout, and more pleasure than chore, running in Copenhagen is simply something I heartily recommend myself for hygginess. As I weaved through the scenic trails in the park, I didn't keep track of my pace, learning to make peace with the natural environment instead of the stats.

The park is lively, picturesque, and makes me feel hygge. I saw many birds, and funnily enough, quite a lot of snails. To make sure we're feeling hygge, I didn't broach the subject who's running faster. I ran past a snail, reminding myself not to step on the creature, and sped up.

It wasn't long before I met another animal. A deer. I rubbed my eyes. A wild deer. And then it struck me like a revelation. Running together with a wild deer, obviously, is an instant hygge.