Metanoia: Calm and Cozy

Image Description: Five candles and a bowl of chili are on top of a table, and the table has a tablecloth that is red with white stripes. All five candles are lined up across the table. The outer two candles are long and red. The inner three candles are tea light candles.

This week, I’m pondering the word metanoia, the ancient Greek word often translated as ‘repent.’ Among other things, it means a turn, an expansion of the mind, an opening of new possibilities.

My friends are initiating a new tradition in their household, and I love it. On Thursday nights, they are opening their home to the community, and together, we’re practicing hygge — a Danish tradition of keeping cozy, warm, and relaxed inside during the cold of winter.

And you betcha I went to the first one wearing pajamas.

I did so assuming that I would initiate a new trend for future hygge nights. And yes, that is true. Many of us will come jammified next week. (Winning!)

I was thinking about how important it is to have moments of calm and coziness. We’re all deserving of this, and we can create this for ourselves, our families, and the expansive chosen family we find in our community.

This is important for moments of change and transformation, both personal or communal. We need moments of restoration. Our relationships need this. Our bodies need this.

Very specifically, our nervous systems need this.

Particularly in times of stress, trauma, or upheaval, our nervous systems need calm. Within that calm, we can respond rather than react. We can feel internally that we have choices. We can move in new directions — metanoia — with less anxiety.

I’m so grateful that my friends are doing this weekly through April. I plan to be there a lot.

And… am I writing this post right now in a lovely nook in the house, sitting on a couch under cozy blankets, sipping coffee, enjoying the scent of a burning candle, and wearing pajamas?

You betcha.

–Renee Roederer