Notes From The City: An Abundant Life - A Flower Blooms In Winter

I met the entrepreneur and author Alexandra Amarotico last spring on one of those last of the cold days that made us all wonder whether or not spring would actually ever arrive. There was an art event at Modrn Sanctuary, a spa that is no ordinary spa, with a Pink Himalayan salt room where you can sit and have refreshing breaths of air and run your fingers and your toes through the pink pebbly ground. The group hosting the art show were some very awesome young men I'd recently met at Contra Galleries, their artists collective and gallery space where they show art and host an amazing variety of events. This particular event in the spa was near their own space, and they explained that it was just another way they'd thought of to go out in the community and connect with other like-minded people doing interesting and wonderful things. This is the way I have run my own business for years, connecting with people I like and seeing where and how we can collaborate on out-of-the-box types of projects, and so I was prepared to meet more wonderful people that night because those are the types of people that this group of young men gather around them. When Alexandra arrived, we started talking about the work she was doing in the fashion and lifestyle industries as a Social Media and Marketing Consultant and her fashion and lifestyle blog She Is Red, and I suggested that there might be some areas that we could talk about a blog post for, either about Alexandra herself or some of the projects she was working on. We kept in touch through Instagram, and then one day recently I saw that she had written a book that was about to be launched at an event at the LIVELY Experience Store in Manhattan, and I sent her a quick message to say that maybe now was the time to get together for a blog post because surely with this new book there was something wonderful, new and exciting to write about. I went to the event fully expecting a lovely evening, and it was. And though I'd already thought Alexandra was a lovely young woman, there was something about that evening, perhaps the experience of writing the book, that had brought out a certain something in her that seemed even lovelier. She was radiant in fact, glowing with warmth on a cold February night, and as the book was about Hygge, it seemed that she was a reflection of it along with something more. The title of the book is "The Secret Joy of Hygge," with the subtitle of, "A Practical Guide to Cultivating Happiness In The Everyday," and she was the perfect picture of that description. She is a walking example that practices what she is preaching, and that night she seemed to be glowing from within.

The LIVELY Experience store is a lovely one, with lingerie, swim suits and undergarments made with the idea of comfort and self care, and on the night of the book launch it was filled with flowers from BW&P Floral, sparkling Ramona, light Hygge bites from Ole & Steen and lots of good cheer. As we sat and listened to the lovely entrepreneur Alex Michael May discuss the book with Alexandra, we learned not only a bit about Hygge, but also were inspired and encouraged to find our own path to accomplishing goals and dreams. The first thing we learned is how to pronounce this Danish word - "hoo-gah" with a little curving of the double o's as only the true Danes can do, but there is so much more than just a word. It is a way of life, of finding the specialness of the little every day things and making every day moments special. Some examples that Alexandra spoke of - lighting candles rather than saving them for special occasions, having that bottle of champagne instead of saving it, wearing a special dress just because you want to wear it - began to remind me of some very special memories of my childhood that have continued to influence my life today. Drifting through my memory banks came a long ago vision of a trip to Bennington Potters with my mother, buying some cups that she said were perfect for cocoa because of their curved-in rims that would keep the hot chocolate hot, and then using them all winter for fresh whipped cream topped Droste cocoa made carefully on our antique stove top by whisking the ground cocoa from its colorful tin into carefully heated milk with just the right amount of sugar. To this day I still make cocoa that way, and each time is as special as the first.

Alexandra's book is delightfully written - it feels like a perfect cup of cocoa that has somehow found its way onto the page, and in addition to personal anecdotes and explanations of terms, there are practical suggestions of how to bring the joy of hygge into every part of your life. Yes, you can have hygge moments at your office, and yes, hygge can accompany you on your daily walks, your commute to work, and around your city or town and community. There is a gentle kind of mindfulness that reminds us to take a moment to enjoy the moment, to take time to see and feel the things that give us glimpses of happiness that can then fill our vision with light. The more I began to think about this lovely message, it began to seem that the secret joy of hygge might actually be found in ourselves all along, and if we on our journey are like Dorothy who clicked her heels together, Alexandra is the sweet presence who touches us with her fairy wand and helps us find our way home.

Alexandra Amarotico

And "The Secret Joy Of Hygge"

At The LIVELY Experience Store

242 Lafayette Street

New York City

https://www.wearlively.com/

http://sheisred.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sheisred