From in Here, All Is Well

A whimsical recap of a hyggelig stormy afternoon

Photo by Anandu Vinod

We have these amazing thunderstorms in Chicago. They swoop in and engulf us with a deluge of electricity, rain, and sometimes hail.

And they give little notice. One moment, it’s kind of gray. The next moment, bam! We’re getting drenched and electrocuted.

I love these storms. This is hygge, to me. Being safely inside as perilous elements abound outside the window.

It feels like we’re winning — like we’ve pulled one over on Mother Nature. Yes, we humans are hubris-fueled creatures. I can’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction when I’m perfectly dry, warm, and caffeinated as tree branches are downed by wind, steeples get blasted by lightning, and streets are filled with gushing water.

(Speaking of caffeinated, it’s true. Coffee is an essential element of hyggelig thundershower-observing.)

I used to live in Northern Nevada where it was always sunny. We got, on average, 39 days of precipitation out of the year. Here in Chicago, we get 123 — three times as much.

I’d so much rather live here. I need contrast. Because I’m from an area where it was sunny every day, I took it for granted. Soon, I started to complain about the brightness and how dry it always was, etc.