Happy & Healthy

WHY YOU SHOULD LIVE SWEDISH

Manmanman, the whole of Amsterdam was on its back this morning. And not just our capital, but the entire f-ing country. I, the commuter, took a smart approach. On a casual day, I roll into the car at half past seven, but we didn't do that today. Hoppa, laptop with the coffee and typing at home. I'm not a silly person, so I drove an hour later behind the traffic jam.

Now you think I understand everything work-wise, but that's quite the opposite. In Sweden, they really have their shit together. Those Scandinavians have their own quirky way when it comes to coziness, but in the labor market, they approach it a bit differently than we stress chickens. Be honest, our run-around mentality is really not the best. Living Swedish is the new thing. And you really don't have to dance around a maypole every Wednesday with Swedish meatballs or a flower crown in your hair. They actually do the latter at the midsummer festival and, my god, I want that too. But if this is too Swedish a cup of tea for you, then I have another option for you.

‘No, it's five o'clock, tomorrow I'll be your man.’

In Sweden, they do it ‘lagom’. This is not some weird layered chewing gum or the latest IKEA building kit, but it means something like ‘just right’ and ‘not too much and not too little’. That fits well with the philosophy of the department store, although sometimes it’s just a screw too few (the annoyance). Is it just me or does that lagom thing sound ridiculous in balance? For me, just enough always tips a bit to the wrong side. As in: just too much or too long or too excessive. In moderation, I'm not so great at that. The Dutch in me keeps pushing me, I immediately stick my hand in my own bosom by the way. But that lagom attitude in Sweden ensures that everything is nice and mañana. And to think that we in the Netherlands have no literal translation for lagom and that, dear everyone, already says enough. We are not la- and certainly not -gom.

Imagine if we worked six hours a day, because they've been experimenting with that for years in Sweden. Or that you tell your boss: ‘No, it's five o'clock, tomorrow I'll be your man.’ Hmm, that feels weird, right? First of all because you want to finish your work, which hangs a lot more relaxed on the couch, but also because it's expected of you. But those northerners, they hardly have any overworked scenes. Maybe they don't have a translation for ‘burn-out’? Look, that's twelve points.

Are you going to try it tomorrow? Just shout at three o'clock: ‘Joe, see you tomorrow!’ See what he does. And then you replace ‘see you tomorrow‘ with ’i morgon‘, you're completely in sync with the Swedish lifestyle.

Source: GGZ