Lagom

If you don't know what the word lagom means, that's ok.

I didn't know either until a few weeks ago. It is the Swedish word for not too much not too little, in moderation, just enough.

My daughter brought a book home from the library about the art of living lagom. I didn't see the book until it was 3 weeks overdue and I received an email about the fines that were accumulating. (Not very lagom ironically.) I went through her room trying to find this particular publication. Upon retrieval, I noticed its mere appearance was appealing; a soft blue color with comforting drawings of flowers, fish, a teapot and a bicycle. I was curious. I started to read.

As I paged curiously through this book about living moderately, the wheels of revolution started turning in my head. "The time for change is now" were the words I was hearing in my head and I was ready to stand up for all things lagom, on a much smaller scale.

I have had an affinity for Scandinavian things since I was young. The name Kristen has Scandinavian origin. The fifth largest city in Norway is Kristiansand. (Spelling close enough to my name.)  My family celebrates the feast of St. Lucia each year on December 13, the day that kicks off the Christmas season in Scandinavia, when the oldest daughter in the family dresses in white with a crown of candles and delivers cinnamon rolls to her loved ones. (I am not sure if this one isn't more about the cinnamon rolls than the Scandinavian connection.)

I have always wanted to visit the Nordic countries. Of course, not during January when in Stockholm, Sweden, the sun rises at 8:47 a.m. and sets at 2.55 p.m. As a Leo, this girl needs her sun. But my chances of getting there any time soon is slim. My daughter's book made it seem like a little piece of Scandinavia could be hiding away in my home. In my very own bedroom.

It was 13 years ago when, I, along with my husband and two of our children, moved into our current house. In the decade plus that we've lived there, every room, excluding the paneled basement, has been painted. Every room except one - our master bedroom.

Obviously you focus on keeping high traffic areas nice. The kitchen, living room, dining room - the places people gather during family gatherings. As the kids have gotten older, their rooms have gone through a couple color changes. The room I sleep in has stayed white. Plain old white.

We came real close to eliminating that white two Aprils ago when we actually bought paint for the room, but never got to the painting part. Although, when you already have paint on hand it is pretty good incentive for when the motivation finally strikes, and strike it did this past weekend. But before the painting could happen, the purging had to happen. Remember, not too much, just enough.

I found baby socks, decades old bills and a few dust bunnies the size of a small rodent in this room. It appears our bedroom became a storage area of sorts. A place were things go to die. Don't misunderstand. This is not hoarder level I'm talking about just well maintained clutter.

But being lagom is great for helping decide what should stay and what should go. What do you think happened to the dust bunnies? You guessed it. Gone! Unmatched socks? Gone! Phone bill from two years ago when we still had a landline? Gone! I have nine things sitting on top of my dresser right now, paired down from what once looked like Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory.

What can I say? Life and kids got in the way but I finally took control of my Viking ship and after a paint job and the purchase of new curtains, the first phase of my lagom revolution was complete. Caution: waiting almost two years to use a can of paint might cause color to not be what was originally chosen. In my case, it was a happy ending. Our ginger peach turned into a sunflower yellow and sunflowers are my favorite.

 I, along with my family's help, created a space of solace, my escape, my home within my home. For this I am bursting with gratitude. Some closets and dresser drawers are also bursting, with items I couldn't part with just yet, but that is a lagom project for another day.