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A few years ago, Sam, our youngest child,  and I traveled to Boston for a few nights, making a special trip to see Sam’s favorite band at the time, AJR. We ate massive eclairs at Quincy Market, dodged traffic in crosswalks, and froze while waiting for our Uber.

We had a wonderful time.

The morning after the concert, we sped north out of Massachusetts and, back in Maine, stopped at the West Gardiner rest stop for a coffee. In line was another Maine mom and kiddo wearing AJR t-shirts, and after we talked excitedly about the show, we breathed a shared sigh of relief to be back in Maine. Even as strangers at a rest stop that some days must serve more traffic than we have people in Washington County, we enjoyed our bond as Mainers who had recently returned home from a very different place. 

Because Maine is like one big small town.

Little Falls, Pembroke. Photo by Brandon Sutton

Last week’s horrific murders in Lewiston, and the subsequent manhunt, cast ripple effects around the globe, not only across Maine. But for Mainers, unaccustomed to seeing our quiet home on the national and international news, the impact has been profound.

We grieve for the victims, for their friends, families, neighbors, and colleagues. 

Here in Washington County, community and business leaders, together with law enforcement, weighed the prudence of moving ahead with public events in light of the missing suspect, and ultimately decided to host Trick-or-Treat Main Street in Machias, to the delight of hundreds of children, and me.

It was the right decision.

But of course we are all still reeling, and though I would never advise us to ignore what’s happening in our world, I also strongly believe in being kind to our nervous systems whenever possible. It’s not only okay, it’s extremely important to unplug from the news now and then, attending instead to that which brings us comfort and restoration.

So, today I’m going to share a few shows, books, and recipes which ask next to nothing of us, and which I find a balm when I want to ground myself before heading back into the trenches. In recent years you’ve probably heard the Danish word hygge, which is defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.”

That’s the prescription I’m writing for dark times.

Foliage in Meddybemps. Photo by Niki Brown, Niki Brown Photos

All Creatures Great and Small, the new series retelling James Herriot’s famous books, produced by PBS. You can stream it on Amazon, on Masterpiece Theater’s website, or catch it when it airs on PBS. English countryside, animals, great actors, great cars. Transporting.

Ghosts, both the British series and the U.S. remake. Funny.

Any cozy mystery novels by Ellery Adams. I listen to them on Audible, and the Hope Street Church Mystery Series is currently free to listen to if you’re an Audible member.

Perhaps my favorite part of Harry Potter’s world is how chocolate is critical first aid rendered to someone recovering from exposure to darkness. Here is my friend Joey Mecham’s tried-and-true recipe for Buttermilk Brownies, aka Texas Sheet Cake, which has the correct ratio of frosting to cake (roughly 50-50) and which will absolutely restore you from any recent attacks by dementors.

My dear friend Alli’s mother, also my dear friend, the late, beautiful Joey Ferrari Mecham, capably dispensing comfort to her overwhelmed son at a birthday party. Joey’s buttermilk brownies can provide comfort, too, in troubled times.

Let’s not forget we live in apple country, and it’s apple season. Now is the time to whip up a crisp or a pie. I use very little sugar with my apples, preferring to add it via ice cream or the crisp topping, and this is my favorite crisp topping – be warned, it’s decadent.

How do you find hygge when you need it? Hit reply to write to me here.

Be well.