Hygge

It’s Saturday, a slow, indulgent day where almost every task was happily postponed.

As evening settled in, I wanted to complete the aesthetic: a hot cup of herbal tea, my laptop, and a soft, warm glow from a vanilla-scented candle (Hygge moment for me, sorry that I don't have a pie). 

But, as is often the case, reality decided to diverge from my picture-perfect plans. My expectations of warm light and sweet vanilla? Let’s just say I got neither.

The candle's wick was too short. The melted wax was nearly drowning the tiny flame, resulting in an extremely faint, disappointing light. Because of the poor combustion, I was smelling vanilla, yes, but it was heavily layered with a burnt smell. 

It was a brilliant reminder that reality rarely supports our curated expectations (which is always a good thing for a little self-improvement practice)

Instead of giving up, I carefully scooped out some of the excess melted wax into the glass lid (so it could be put back in later) and relit the candle. The flame, finally, could breathe. The light became warm and steady. The room filled with the beautiful vanilla scent I craved. It's true, sometimes, all it takes is removing a little bit of the excess for everything to function exactly as it was meant to.