BLISS - Swedish

It’s been awhile since I’ve explored BLISS. Perhaps it’s the fact that my family has taken a left turn into Crapsville or the reality that this is the second year for the same word and I’ve never done that before. (I choose one word a year to explore in as many ways as I can. Last year it was BLISS and I’ve continued the exploration even now.)

So tonight I had some “me” time and I got bored and began pondering BLISS yet again.

My daughter has a friend. We’ll call her Sweet E.



Sweet E and FooFoo are pretty much inseparable. They go to church together. They spend tons of time together at both houses. They both call me mom and quite frankly, Sweet E is just as much a part of our family as FooFoo.

This weekend, Sweet E is away. My daughter and her friend have made a pact that they will text a picture every hour no matter what they are doing at the moment. There have been some pretty funny ones going back and forth.

Sweet E is Swedish. She speaks the language fluently and FooFoo has picked some up just by being in their home. For instance, sometimes I say “Kiss, Kiss” to my children as they are running by. Last week, my daughter replied, “Puss, puss”. Stopped me in my tracks, but apparently that is “Kiss, Kiss” in Swedish.

I love Swedish. It’s a happy language and I can’t help but smile every time I hear it spoken. It is light and joyful.

There are three words in Swedish for BLISS. I always find it interesting that BLISS in English has multiple meanings but only one word. No wonder it’s so hard to learn.

Lycksalighet means nothing more than BLISS. It’s a noun and has no other meaning. I searched quite a bit and really couldn’t find an alternative meaning. BLISS meaning so many different things to different people, a simple meaning of BLISS wasn’t enough. Anyway, this didn’t help my never ending search.

Lycka is also a noun meaning BLISS. This word has other meanings as well.

happiness,
luck
success
chance
mercy
fortune

Which makes me wonder, if BLISS that is made of chance, fortune, and luck is that really a BLISS that should be pursued. I mean, wouldn’t that be a BLISS that just falls in my lap at some point without any effort on my part? I want a tangible BLISS. I want to feel it and know that it is real. I want to pursue BLISS with all my heart.

The Swedes have one more definition of BLISS….

Salighet, also a noun for BLISS but with the further definition of

glory
blessedness
beatitude

Now that sounds like a BLISS that is related to a spiritual pursuit, although I may be pushing that definition for my own needs.

What I know for sure is that when FooFoo and Sweet E are together, there is BLISS in every way. They delight in each other and they care deeply about the comings and goings in each of their lives.

It is BLISS to find a good friend. I’ve been blessed to have several in my life. I am very thankful to good friends who buy into my life on a deep level. They pour BLISS into my life often.

It’s the phone calls from the best friend I’ve ever had, Ann, who has the ability to make me laugh like no other. It’s the chattering away the evening with my friends AD and Kyra. It’s the simple love of people who have been there to listen and encourage for years like my friends, Sarah, Sue, Janice, Pam, and Tracy. It’s the friends that make me stretch and grow and call me on it when I feel sorry for myself a bit too much like Mary and Jo.

BLISS can be the simple reaching out to enjoy another person. BLISS can be the willingness to accept that someone is reaching out to me. The back and forth of a delightful intimacy that is just two friends connecting.

I don’t know if all Swedes are like that, but I know two 14 year old girls who have it down. BLISS.