Let’s Create a Fredagsmys (Cozy Friday) Routine

I was doing some research on one of my favorite Swedish cultural beliefs when I came across this term. And boy, did it bring back a flood of beautiful and fond memories of my childhood.

I spent many, many summers in Gotland, Sweden playing for hours with my siblings and Swedish cousins. Even as an adult, I travel back to my parents homeland as often as I can and I never get tired of the beauty, wonder, and healing qualities of this country.

At the time, I was doing some research on lagom for one of my many upcoming projects. I adore living a lagom lifestyle which is the Swedish word for enough, just the right amount, not too much, not too little, or everything in moderation and balance.

A dear friend of mine, Evans Bowen,  walked the Camino de Santiago in 2014.  This is a spiritual pilgrimage voyage that typically encompasses over 30 days of hiking. She did the whole trek with only one spare shirt and one spare pair of pants. Now that’s an extreme example of lagom!

For many years I have really felt the pull to "lighten the load" in my life and this includes my mental and emotional baggage. I yearned for this because I knew once life was simplified, I could thrive and continue my work on healing from within.

My goal became enough, just the right amount, not too much, not too little, or everything in balance.

When I was looking for some deeper details on lagom on the Swedish Program website, I encountered the term “mys” and the warmth of happy memories flooded over me immediately. This site defined mys as:

A crucial part of creating that lagom lifestyle is mys. As a noun, mys translates to “coziness” in English. It was my observation that mys is a vital piece of Swedish culture. Something can be mysigt, and people can mysa. Many Swedes enjoy fredagsmys (Cozy Friday).

When we were vacationing in Sweden, we lived for mysa. We loved our blankets, sweaters, candles, sleeping on hammocks outside. In the summer we had cast iron day beds out in the yard with beautifully decorated and hung mosquito netting.

We brought the love of mys home with us as well. I loved my grandmother's forest bed. She built a screened in gazebo and put a double bed on it with mosquito netting. We lived in Oregon where it rains all the time so having this lovely cocoon to snuggle into was wonderful. I loved this bed. I miss this bed.

Our family loved our fireplaces, fire pits, and bonfires too.

Here in New Mexico I continue living my “cozy” life by having a fire table outside in the courtyard where many great conversations take place as well as many items being knitted. I love having two kiva fireplaces in my house, one in my bedroom and one in the living room. I have special blankets in every room, even in the summer. It gets cold in the desert at night. Around the house, in every room, are books available to read. During Winter I love candles everywhere. In the summer I love to eat outside as much as possible.

So my challenge to you is this; let’s think of ways we can create our own fredagsmys (Cozy Friday).

We all work hard and creating a fredagsmys routine is an exceptionally nurturing way to reward ourselves after a long week. Your Cozy Friday doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does need to honor your body and mind’s need for peace, calm, and sanctuary.

So what will your fredagsmys look like this week? Will there be music? Soft blankets and candles? A good book or a chat with a good friend?

The possibilities are endless. Plan your fredagsmys as soon as possible.

Because you deserve it.