I’ve been reading a little bit about how to make my life feel calmer and cozier, and I have decided that I need to add some hygge to my office space. Hygge is a Danish term for the idea of coziness, or comfort in our spaces and in our life. For example, a cup of tea might be thought of as hygge. Or mittens can be hygge. (Shout out to all those Bernie Sanders memes!)

I’ve learned that plants can add hygge, so I took a few plants I already had in other rooms in the house, divided them and put them in new pots. I also bought two plants that will do well in low light. I tucked those into a corner in my office, and put the repotted plants on a low bookshelf in front of my desk so I will see them whenever I’m working. They really do make me happier.

But…

My cats have nibbled down one of the plants so much that it looks like it got a haircut. I’ve got to come up with a plan to get them to leave the poor plant alone.

The worst part is that after a few minutes of nibbling, they run downstairs and yack-up plant bits onto my basement carpet.

This is definitely not the Hygge Life I’d imagined.