When we talk about being cozy, most of us think of a favorite sweater or a steaming cup of tea on a rainy day. But to Isabel Gillies, coziness goes beyond mere objects. To be truly cozy, she argues, means learning to identify the innermost truth of yourself and carrying it into the world, no matter your environment.
From old family recipes and subway rides to jury duty and hospital stays, in Cozy Gillies shows readers that true ease stems not from throw pillows and a candle, but from opportunities to feel that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, and learn to make ourselves at home no matter where we are.
Review:
This book could also be subtitled, ‘How to be Cozy Anywhere’. According to Gillies cozy is more than hot tea and fuzzy slippers, it’s knowing what calms and centers you. She finds it both in places you would expect (baths) and places you don’t (jury duty). If I had to boil it down I’d say that
cozy = self-awareness + mindfulness + self-care
The book starts on a personal scale then broadens out to feeling cozy in your home and in your community. She emphasizes that we’ll all find different things comforting, and that part of the journey is figuring out what’s cozy to us. Instead of ‘this is cozy, do this,’ it’s ‘these things work for me, your mileage may vary.’
I’m thankful for that, and it did get me thinking about what I find cozy. There’s curling up with a blanket and a good book and preferably a cat, of course. Fresh flowers on my desk. Libraries. I think Gillies and I would agree on these points. But she finds walks with friends cozy, while I would much rather go on treks across town by myself. And that’s fine.
While some of the things she mentions can be enjoyed for free many require disposable income, free time, or comfortable circumstances, and Gillies acknowledges that not everyone has those things. She’s also quite determined to find cozy in the most trying circumstances, and I personally draw the line at when you’re sick and in pain in a hospital waiting room. She concludes that the nurses’ scrubs looked soft and therefore cozy, but… yeah.
The most valuable thing I got from this book is that it shifted my perception of cozy towards situations as well as things. Tea and my reading chair are cozy, for sure, but so is visiting the library and going to the florist to pick out a flower for my desk. So while not life-changing, this book did make me more open to seeing the cozy around me and more comfortable making my own.
Always Doing 