Copenhagen, Denmark

Before today, my only connection to Copenhagen was thru a mermaid, and a Little one at that.

I entered my kitchen this afternoon to find the soundtrack of many lives, The Oprah Show, already in progress.  The theme today was something along the lines of "The Happiest People on Earth".  For over two-thirds of my lifetime, it has been concluded that the Danes are consistently happier than the rest of the world, 23 ladder-rungs above the United States.  Oprah led us through conversations with lovely, slender, blonde women, touring their clutter-free homes and listening to their proclamations of being paid by the government while receiving free college educations, generous maternity leave, and "...no pressure to marry".  Religion plays little, if any, role in everyday life, while family time receives the highest priority.
Oprah's laser-like focus on her hostess' loaf of Rugbrød (bread), clutching it to her breast and taking it for her own was not accompanied by any explanation of the role of Rugbrød in the residents' happiness.  I did, however, latch on to this probable explanation of Danish delight, presented as if it were a universal truth.  So, for today, this is really real:  Less space, less things, more life.