Another daily writing prompt from WordPress: What is your favourite word?

Languages have always interested me. I have never achieved fluency in anything other than English, but can follow French and Spanish quite well. I have a basic understanding of Arabic, and wherever I have travelled I have made an effort to learn a few phrases. So my first thought for this prompt was which language should I choose? My thoughts went first to Scandinavia, my favourite travel destination, and eventually settled on a Finnish word that intrigues me ‘Sisu’.

My interpretation of ‘Sisu’ is tenacity of purpose, grit, or stoic relentlessness and a basic google search may indicate I am on the right track. ‘Courage mixed with grit’ with deep seated determination may be a more authentic description. Although please correct me if I am wrong.

There is some suggestion in the research literature that grit is correlated with happiness, although more recent research could indicate a more complex relationship with mental toughness a more suitable predictor of happiness. This led me to look at ‘Sisu’ and its relationship with being happy. Helsinki often appears near the top of the World Happiness Report and some writers do indeed feel that ‘Sisu’ is linked to happiness. Beyond a potential pathway to happiness, perhaps I like this word because it summarizes for me a way to approach life in this fast-paced changing world.

Although ‘Sisu’ is my chosen word, special mention goes to 木漏れ日 (Komorebi) a Japanese word that I understand refers to sunlight filtering through tree leaves. The beauty of the interplay of light and darkness in nature summarized in a single word.