This Close To Okay

by Leesa Cross-Smith

Instead of being out in the cold rain, she imagined they were in her cozy office with the calming lapis walls, the white-noise machine, her chair—a basil green. The shiny, honey-smooth hardwood floors; the soothing, soft almond suede couch. She had a scented-oil diffuser on a table by the window—lavender and a hint of lemon; she’d mixed it herself. There were potted spider and dracaena plants, bamboo palms, a Monstera, succulents in the sunlight—natural air purifiers. The bookshelves were packed neat and tight, with an amber salt lamp atop the one closest to the door. She pictured her office perfectly, transported herself there in her mind, willed that calm into her voice. Her receptionist’s fingers gently clicked the computer keyboard, the rocky fountain bubbled in the waiting room.

From very early on in THIS CLOSE TO OKAY, I have Tallie lean on comfort and coziness so she has somewhere safe to land when she is encountering something scary, something she can't control. Coziness is a big deal in this book...from Tallie imagining how comforting her office is, to inviting Emmett for a cup of coffee while it rains against the windows, to her own home where she makes coziness and all things "hygge" an important part of her life. The way Tallie feels about creating comfortable, cozy spots in a wild, dizzying world is exactly how I feel! I call myself a "cozy advocate" in a lot of my bios because it's true! If I can make something cozy, I do just that! No, I cannot control the world, but yes, I can control how many soft, warm things I have nearby or how many cups of tea I make. I can also (for the most part) control what I'm thinking and choose to focus on lovely things and choose not to dwell on the dark(est) things of this world...any more than I have to.