Creating a Prayerful Sustainable Hygge Home

We arrived back in the Caribbean after 5 weeks in London visiting with our daughter and young family. We bring back with us a desire to live a sustainable lifestyle as requested by Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si. While in London we learnt of the many who have embarked on this lifestyle. It goes by many names - Slow living, Sustainable Living, Mindful Living and the Sourdough Lifestyle there is even one with a strange name - a Hygge lifestyle.

At the heart of it is a slower more mindful lifestyle, one more in tune with our creator and 'His' creation. I believe it is a lifestyle of a more interior prayerful living, less focus on materialism and keeping up with the Jones', it is slower with less haste and having to do, it is more about being. It promotes an awareness and nurturing of our natural environment. It is about creating a Nazareth Holy Family Home in today’s world.

I thought that I should chronicle our journey to transform our home in line with the Pope’s vision through a weekly newsletter post. Each issue will trace our efforts to adopt sustainable prayerful practices, the lessons we learn along the way, and how these experiences can inspire us in your own journey.

From successes to setbacks, we will share honest reflections, practical tips, and creative ideas to help us make informed choices for a sustainable prayerful home. I also included the word ‘Hygge’ as it has come to be defined as an attitude of slow mindful living. Together, we’ll explore how to live more prayerfully sustainable, one step at a time, turning our combined story into a guide for a brighter, more sustainable and prayerful future.

Week 1

We arrived home at 10.30 pm to the sound of night in the Caribbean, cicadas humming backdrop with the sound of dogs barking, including our own, welcoming us home. It was already a contrast to London where at 10:30pm there is the silence of winter.

We awoke the following morning at 6am with the cacophany of bird sounds, tanagers and bananaquits chirping and parrots squaking loudly. The first order of business was the morning cup of coffee which for some unknown reason tastes different from in London.

We spent the first day unpacking and sorting out gifts for those at home. At present we live as empty nesters so after prayer we move slowly through the house greeting the walls and opening the windows. I gathered the many books I brought back, most on the various elements of living a sustainable prayerful hygge lifestyle.

Later that morning other birds dropped by to greet us and welcome us home - the cocoa thrush and the yellow eyed thrush, the kiskadee and the mountain dove and the ground dove.

The quiet tranquil of the morning soon gave way to the busyness of being back home. Sandee's ageing Mum was being transferred from the hospital to a nursing home and we had to participate. This soon took over our arrival as over the next few days it was hectic with her settling in and eventually on the third day she passed.

Since then it has been the various activities associated with a mother's passing. The house is filled with relatives, Simone flew down with her family, Sandee’s brother and his son, our granddaughters. At its peak there were 11 of us at home.

Prayerful Sustainable Hygge Lifestyle

There have been some wins and some losses.

Wins

• There were many hygge moments. Moments when it was more important to sit and engage with each other instead of doing things. Evenings became even more special as we would sit and talk and listen over drinks. We would eat dinner together, each person finding a comfortable spot in the living room/dining room, some with a plate in hand.

• There were many moments of prayer, both as a family and as individuals

• It was a joy to take turns in caring for and entertaining the younger granddaughters

• I succeeded (on a few occassions) to collect all the scraps in the kitchen and place them into a compost heap. Others, I fed to the dogs.

• We did succeed in hanging out some of the clothes to dry instead of using the dryer

• We started back our walking after a delay - crossed the 30km milemark

• Started weeding and nurturing of the garden

• Made daily time for Christian Meditation

Losses

• Packaging overwhelmed me. I could not come up with innovative ideas to dispose of them. They filled garbage bags way too fast. I determined that the size and the number of garbage bags being disposed of is a negative measurement of sustainability.

• Wasn’t able to make our own food fast enough - my ideas of baking bread, making marmalade, starting a chicken coop had to be put on hold. We had to purchase food and cleaners from the supermarket.

• We used the washing dryer way too often to keep up with the washed clothes.

• In the wirly burly neglected mindfulness of nature at times

Back to Empty Nesters

The last of the family left yesterday and we started back our morning walks. The house is quiet, sad, yet healing. It was a welcome back to Christian Meditation. Sandee has started cleaning the bedrooms, a helper has been hired for a couple of days. Towels and linen are being washed, we are hanging out things to dry. I am catching up with my writing. Taking out the books I brought back from London and looking forward to the days and weeks ahead in making a sustainable prayerful hygge home.

Friends, we welcome your comments, suggestions and your attempts at living a prayerful sustainable hygge home. Please help us to make this weekly publication a success.