Fika

By Denise Renée Purdie

A friend of mine mentioned that she would do as the old folks said and “sleep when she was dead.” My response was that with that mentality of no rest, folks would be going on to their final resting place sooner rather than later. She chuckled and said I was probably right.

Yesterday when I was reviewing chapter one of an amazing soon-to-be published book on self-care for Black women written by an acquaintance, I encountered a phrase I had not ever seen. It is “a little Swedish concept called Fika, also known as the sweet art of doing nothing.”

I read a bit more about it on: https://www.swedishfood.com/fika and became quite convinced that I need to make this part of my regular life. Not only do you have an excuse for making and sharing homemade baked goods, it has the effect of giving you an opportunity to develop a deeper connection with people. During this pandemic time, we have definitely lost a lot of the connectivity we used to have with people. Even people we like, we haven’t seen them for months, if not years.   

Fika … Yes!

I am going to remember it by saying it stands for:

F: Friendship

I: Interaction

K: Kindness

A: Amor (love)

And frankly, the world can do with more of all of the above.