Blue skies and snow tipped trees are a welcoming winter sight. If this were habitual, my bah humbug winter grumbles would melt away.

This is Rumi’s season to shine. Like most dogs, snow provides the perfect playground for soaring acrobatics and soft landing pads. He arrives at the back door a panting, exalted mess. Legs matted with snowballs, poodle topknot flat and floppy. One happy dog.

His love of winter is one of the few things that keeps me from hammering a Coming Soon! sign into the permafrost and chartering a one-way jet to Costa Rica.

My seasonal survival kit recently received new supplies: two helpful Danish words:

Overskud and Pyt

Overskud means ‘excess’, like having the energy or resources to complete a task or fulfill an obligation. Having overskud is a good thing as it means your stamina is rockin’. If you have ample overskud then you have the energy to go above and beyond.

My constitution does not include tons of this, so I was happy to read:

“The word overskud is also used to clearly communicate when people cannot tackle an event, task, or obligation. Instead of saying ‘I’m swamped,’ a Dane might say they don’t have enough overskud to go to a party or meet for a glass of gløgg, a mulled Christmas wine. It’s basically a shorthand, non judgmental way to say, that something sounds like fun, and you would love to do it, but you simply don’t have the energy.” 

Pyt (pronounced “pid”) is similar to “oh well” or “sh*t happens”, and is meant to help us accept and let go of minor hassles or mistakes:

“Danes might say about their own behavior ‘Pyt, I didn’t do a great job wrapping that present.’ Or they might say pyt when they sense someone else’s disappointment: ‘Pyt, those cookies do look a bit funny, but they’re still delicious.’ Pyt is about accepting that things won’t go exactly as planned, and embracing that fact.”

Oh those smart Danes. Two little words that help my inner critic take off the boxing gloves every time I lack the appropriate overskud to tackle life, or get flustered about things that really don’t matter. Practicing on the small stuff helps to prepare for the big whoppers.

So this Christmas season, when the need to outperform or be merry and bright feels obligatory, using a bit of Danish wisdom may help. It will also come in handy when returning to work after the holidays. No matter age or post in life, accepting the ebb and flow of energy and having wisdom to accept what is right now, is revolutionary.

Pyt, it’s all good.

Wishing you a few Zen moments of calm and stillness this holiday season. May blessings abound in 2023 in the form that is just right for you.

(Rumi says bah humbug to calm and stillness, and wishes you crazy-ass leaps, frenetic barks when someone walks past your house, and plenty of impromptu naps on other peoples’ pillows.)

Much love from us to you.