May 24, 2019

The Magical Words

When our girls were small and the days whirled by in a daze of everyday stress and mess, we tried to squeeze in some quality parenting as often as our sleep-deprived brains could muster. One of the principles we felt was important to teach them, was gratitude. So when they got something nice from someone, we had a gentle way of nudging them to remember to show gratitude: “What are the magical words?” we would ask them. “Thank you!” they shouted with their light voices and giggled.

Even though our girls are not little anymore, every now and then I’m reminded of this principle: the importance of gratitude, but also, the importance of words themselves. I believe that when we think, or say thank you, we feel more grateful, and the more we recognize things to be grateful for; the more of them we find.

I, like many of us, have had my fair share of dark days, and sometimes it really seems impossible to look for rays of light. Sometimes we just need to give ourselves a break and tell ourselves: This too shall pass. Then those words carry us through the darkness. This is something I have often marvelled at; words’ nearly magical power to change our moods and even our lives. Words like: I love you, and Will you marry me, and even simple words like: Yes or No can change our lives in an instant. There is a chasm between words like: I can do this and I will never make it.

When I write my novels, and perhaps even more when I write poetry, I ponder every word: its place in the sentence, all the other words I could have used, down to every little comma and punctuation mark. When building fictional worlds for the mind to wander, the words are the brushstrokes and the colors, breathing life into the scenes and the characters; they are truly magical.

In this season of change in our family, I’m grateful for the new gifts that are coming into our lives: an upcoming wedding for our oldest daughter, an amazing son-in-law, an exciting summer for our youngest; studying music at her dream college, and to top it all off, my husband and I bought a house!

We stumbled upon a beach bungalow in our home town of Gothenburg that checked all our boxes, and somehow we managed to buy it all the way from Kuala Lumpur. We haven’t seen it in real life yet, only pictures and videos, but after nearly eight years in Asia, we’re excited to be able to go back to Sweden more often to visit. And a house by the ocean! If you’ve followed my blog, you know I have dreamed about a house by the sea for years and years. The house we bought even comes with “a room of my own” as Virginia Woolf put it: a studio for me to write and create in. Perhaps I can pick up the passion of my youth again, painting sweeping seascapes of the ocean.

I look forward to continue to chase the magical words in our little beach bungalow; to wander down to the beach and to find my favorite spot among the cliffs by the sea. To look out to the horizon and wonder at the many miracles and hardships that brought me there. To breathe in the salty air and to exhale a quiet thank you.

Love,

Lene



Comments (24)

  • Du skriver sĂ„ vackert! Och du mĂ„lade sĂ„ vackert tidigare. Det skall bli spĂ€nnande att se hur livet blir framöver. Ser fram mot att trĂ€ffas under sommaren./Eva

  • Marica Hellberg Webb

    Ă…Ă„h, Lene! Ibland, ibland undrar jag om vi Ă€r slĂ€kt – pĂ„ nĂ„got vis?
    (Utöver att vara mÀnniska.. )
    Thank you!! ☀

    • Åh, fina du! VĂ„rt slĂ€kttrĂ€d Ă€r sĂ€kert hoptvinnat nĂ„gonstans, om inte annat sĂ„ i hjĂ€rteroten! ❀ Stor kram!

  • Du mĂ„lar sĂ„ vackert med ord,
    Och skriver sÄ vackert nÀr du mÄlar
    Tack för allt du ger oss!
    Kram

  • Wow!!!! Ett hus i Gbg, ljuvligt! Jag har tittat efter en stuga i Sverige i nĂ„t Ă„r nu, hoppas pĂ„ att de kan hĂ€nda snart… ! Vackert vackert skrivet, ser fram emot din nĂ€sta bok. Men. Ska lilla A gifta sig?!?! Minns nĂ€r hon var nyfödd…! Wow! SpĂ€nnande tider

    • Ja, det Ă€r helt galet hur tiden flyger! Efter sĂ„ mĂ„nga Ă„r borta lĂ€ngtar vi till Sverige mer och mer för varje dag… Hoppas du ocksĂ„ hittar din stuga! Och att vi kan mötas upp snart ❀

  • Underbart vackert skrivet. Å sĂ„ roligt med allt som hĂ€nder. SpĂ€nnande framtid för er alla.Happy for you

  • Ulla NyrĂ©n Nolberger

    Njuter av ditt sprÄk, det Àr sÄ vackert att lÀsa och ta del av..
    Det glÀder mig att ni har köpt hus nÀra havet. Vatten och speciellt havet Àr en kÀlla till olika sinnesstÀmningar. Ibland stilla och rofyllt och ibland piskar vÄgorna upp och byter scenario.Men de olika skiftningarna Àr otroligt vackra
    Vi ses snart.
    Ni vet att ni ALLTID Àr vÀlkomna till Jönköping .
    Ulla

    • Ă…Ă„, sĂ„ fint du beskriver havet, nu lĂ€ngtar jag dit Ă€nnu mer… 🙂 Tack Ulla och jaa, snart ses vi!

  • Thank you, Lene, for all the beauty that you share. I’m happy for you and your family, being able to spend more time on the “best coast” in the future. Hope we stumble upon each other!

  • You have a gift w words!! Your prose is beautiful and I love your book. Can’t wait for the next one. Congratulations on finding your perfect home. And on the beach? That will definitely keep your creative juices flowing.

    • Thank you so much Tricia, and yes, I’m hoping for some creative juices! 🙂 After almost eight years surrounded by skyscrapers I’m longing for nature, and especially the ocean… Very excited about our little house!

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