the Swedish art of FIKA the Swedish art of FIKA

By Bishop Laura Merrill

As I write this, I am trying to think ahead, to the beginning of the new year. But where I actually am is in the middle of the end of year crush of work and preparations for travel and family events. “Renewed” is not exactly how I’m feeling.

Yet I know, too, that there’s not some magical time when the tiring things stop completely. Renewal is something we have to intentionally make space for, even when we think we can’t. Milestones on the calendar can be a good time for that sort of reset—the new year, a birthday or church anniversary.

I also think about the need for little bursts of renewal. Some folks get that through exercise—even just a five minute stand-up can help our health and our attitude when we’ve been sitting for too long. I like the grounding I receive in the morning when I sit next to a window and spend time with my journal and prayer books.

I’m remembering, too, a custom that I learned about last summer during a few days in Sweden. Each afternoon, many people there take what they call “fika.” It’s basically a coffee break, but one that involves a little treat and face-toface time with other people. Companies have found that employees’ productivity goes up when they make fika an official part of the work day. All I know is that it felt civilized and joyful, a special moment in an otherwise ordinary day.

I wonder how we might extend fika in other ways—acknowledging that we do better work (or are just better people) when we take a break, enjoying the attention of other people who also need to take a break, looking for joy and treat and company where we otherwise might just plow through to the next thing. It sounds a little like sabbath, like something that might give delight not just to us, but to God as well.

Whether it’s a walk, a good and simple meal, a call or text to a friend, a surprise treat, an actual getaway, or just a momentary pause to breathe and rest, seeking out patterns of renewal is a way to allow ourselves to be blessed, and it might just lead us to bless others as well.