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When my oldest son and I shared the adventure of traveling to Sweden a few summers ago, we had the enormous joy and privilege of staying with new friends who would become like family to us. They generously hosted us, introduced us to Swedish culture and the tastiest of foods, and included us in the daily delight of Fika, a coffee and cake break with friends. This wonderful tradition is more of a lifestyle in Sweden, considered by many Swedes to be essential in everyday living.

Our Scandinavian hosts kindly labored intentionally to speak English all day long, even between themselves, so that we wouldn’t feel left out. The hospitality and generosity of these, our new family, exceeded anything we have ever experienced.

While we were in Sweden, our new family introduced us to the term “Lagom,” which in their country means “just enough.”
We learned a new vocabulary word and gained front-seat insight into experiencing this term in the day-to-day.

Lagom (pronounced [ˈlɑ̂ːɡɔm]) is a Swedish and Norwegian word meaning “just the right amount.” Lagom can be translated in a variety of ways including, “in moderation,” “in balance,” “perfect-simple,” and “a suitable amount.”
Just enough.

We lived with these precious friends who lived remarkably generous lives, genuinely satisfied with “just enough” (except in the category of laughing, THAT we did in excess!).

And I witnessed how living with a lagom mindset cultivated a more relaxed, more satisfied, unhurried, unworried, grateful, generous, content-with-what-you-have life.

With sweet and fresh awareness this summer, I realize I don’t have to go back to Sweden to live lagom.