Friday, April 13, 2012

L ~ Lagom = Goldilocks and The Three Bears


Hejsan Klass!
Of all the lessons I'm teaching through my postcards, this one is the lesson I've most looked forward to. The word I'm teaching you is probably THE most famously in-translatable word in Swedish. Anthony Bordain agrees with me. (He's a chef who travels the world eating EVERYTHING and he mentions this word in his show about Sweden. Just his name and Sweden in google popped up that exact episode of his food travel show.)



What word am I talking about? LAGOM.
Pronunciation: la + gum. The la is as in lalalalala I'm not listening. I believe we've had this particular translation help in earlier lessons. Gum? You chew it.

Translation: This is where it gets tricky. It takes more than just a few words. It takes an entire fairy tale to do the translation justice. Hence the postcard.

In the Goldilocks and The Three Bears story, our heroine explores the house of mama bear, papa bear, and baby bear. Wherever she goes, there is only one of the three choices which satisfies her. Only one of them is “lagom”. I suppose if I had to put a definition on it in just a few words, they would be, “just about right.” Don't you think a word in English with this meaning might be very useful?
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Since I wrote this, my oldest son who is 15, broke his arm long-boarding.  Tomorrow we meet with the arm/wrist specialist to see if he needs sedation and a re-positioning of his arm, or whether pins and surgery are required. If you're the praying sort, I'd appreciate yours for pain relief for him, and that I remain calm enough even though I'm really scared, to be a comfort to him. Thanks.

23 comments:

Life Strings said...

Don't worry brave mommy, he will be alright. I had a fracture a couple of years back in school. I had broken my my ankle. I was sitting on the ground and smiling when my mom came, and she was so scared. I had the strength to go through it but not my mom. :) You kiddo can fight it :D I'll pray for him :)

Sally said...

Good luck with your son - it's always worse watching a loved one have something done to them. Thinking of you both.

Cheryl said...

Keeping you all in my heart and sending butterfly wings of courage to both of you.

Brian Miller said...

ugh, wrapping you in prayers today for the arm...and hoping just about right is not where it ends up...smiles.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Prayers for both of you.

HeatherL said...

Good luck at the doctors! I think moms take breaks the hardest - when my eldest fractured her arm it was "cool" until she started to itch and her arm started to smell! Eww!

Linda Fischer said...

don't worry. I think everything will turn out Lagum. :) Just said a prayer for you boy.


L

Hart Johnson said...

Oh, I like that word a lot.

I hope your son's injury is the easy, fast-healing sort and not a rebreaking setting, pins sort! Sending healing energy!

Unknown said...

Hope your son is ok. enjoyed this!

raymond alexander kukkee said...

Tina, prayers for your son and for the worried Mom too. Everything shall be fine, if not worrisome. ":)

wsbhark said...

I am sorry your son is in pain. I hope his arm is healed and your worries are calmed very soon!

I like the word lagom. It is fun to learn new words. I will look forward to more lessons!

loverofwords said...

So Tina, you are not Lagom today. With boys especially, it is always something. Prayers for courage and may his recovery be quick and complete.

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

Your post for today is "just about right" and I love the fact that the word cannot be described in a quick phrase or synonymous word.
I have added your son and you to my prayer list for today.

http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com Theme: A World of Crime

Jessica Ferguson said...

I will definitely be praying for you and your son. I know exactly how you feel. When my 7 year old daughter (she's now almost 28) had stitches in her knee, we were both horrible patients. The doctor told me not to bring her back if she ever broke her arm. :) Thankfully, she never did. :-)

Sue McPeak said...

Isn't that 'lagom'...just when you think they are past falling out of the tree or swing without a mishap! Hope all goes well for you both...Sue

Lynn Proctor said...

oh i am so sorry -i will pray right after i post this comment---<3

klahanie said...

Hi Tina,
No smart alec comment from me today. Nothing like what the "L" is happening? Or who the "L" ate my porridge?
No, seriously, I'm sending positive thoughts that your son is not in too much pain and that he has a speedy recovery.
In kindness, Gary

Heather Murphy said...

Prayers are going out for your son (and for you). At least he's young and can look at it as "battle scars".

blissflower1969 said...

Sending positive thoughts for a quick recovery. And your posts are fascinating. Languages have also interested me.

Thanks for sharing! Good luck with the rest of the challenge!

Unknown said...

Nej men kära hjärtanes! Hoppas allt går bra! Jag hoppade över 'Lagom' och gick bakåt från 'midsommar'.
Hjärtliga hälsningar
Anna
Anna's A-Z, the letter M
Anna's A-Z, the letter L

Gud som haver barnen kär,
Se till mig, som liten är,
Vart jag mig i världen vänder,
Står min lycka i Guds händer,
Lyckan kommer, lyckan går,
Den Gud älskar, lyckan får.
Amen.

Unknown said...

Hoppas att det har gått bra, Tina.

Kram,
Anna

Unknown said...

This is an excellent post about a difficult word, 'lagom'.
Anna
Anna's A-Z, the letter M

Amanda Trought said...

Sorry to hear about your son, my prayers are with your family. Enjoyed reading your posts. Blessings for the week. Amanda


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