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Few things in life give one more peace inside and out than basking in vibrant sunshine. And when those days happen amid winter, they seem even more satisfying. There’s an old-fashioned English word for this experience, and that word is “apricity.” It’s time to make it in vogue again.
Apricity means “the warmth of the sun in winter.” If you live where parkas and scarves are the norm for the months of the winter season, you come to understand the apricity of a day that provides a drink of brilliant sunshine that warms you despite being surrounded by ice and snow. Unfortunately, when using this word in writing, autocorrect will try to change it to “apricot.” Ironically, apricots are round like the sun and bring much enjoyment, but they are not nearly as satisfying as basking in the sun’s warmth after months of bone-chilling temperatures.
Such was the case when I experienced such a day on my vacation. From inside my daughter’s home, the day looked promising, and upon opening the door and stepping outside, we were greeted with such warmth that we immediately knew it was a day to escape to the outside world with the wee ones. So we donned only lightweight jackets and hats and joyfully went outside, where we frolicked in the not-quite-warm air to soak up the sun’s warmth where even the bare trees seemed to stand a little taller.
Back home, to enjoy the apricity of the day, I will likely be found leaning back in my Adirondack chair with a blanket over my lap, holding a book that will not be read. The blanket, because while the sun is warm, the air is not quite in agreement. Nevertheless, I close my eyes and tip my head upward to absorb the sun’s warmth from the inside outward.
Apricity isn’t only about the weather. Apricity can define an unexpected change in attitude when your heart senses a feeling of hopefulness. Not entirely committed, but willing to accept that while all may not be well, there is wellness at this moment.
It is too often said that the English language is harsh and cold. Indeed, Merriam-Webster categorizes apricity as “a rare wintry word” from 1623 when “Henry Cockeram “recorded (or possibly invented) it for his dictionary The English, or An Interpreter of Hard English Words.” To categorize it as “hard” is unfortunate for a word that imparts defines a satisfying moment. Yet, today when you google it, you are apt to come up with it as associated with the marketing of ideas, organizations, and products meant to embrace a feeling of warmth.
The Danish equivalent of apricity would be “hygge,” a word that conveys a feeling of contentment.
My experience is that when we slow to appreciate the essence of apricity, we are experiencing a Godwink moment. A Godwink moment, coined by Squire Marshall, has come to be thought of as an unexpected coincidence connecting with the divine, or as defined by Wiktionary, “when perceived as an answer to a prayer.”
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