INSPIRED

Things My Polish Mom Used To Say

Some of them are pretty darn funny to me now

Barbara Andres
4 min readApr 28, 2022

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A toddler with his hand in his mouth, holding a woman’s hand. A Grain of Infinfity
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

I enjoy reading the work of Melissa Frost, a delightful Norwegian-born woman whose stories of acclimating to American suburban life touch my heart. A child of immigrants myself, I often share her wonder and delight at the rites, rituals, and habits of Americans in the wild. Reading her articles has also helped me better understand how Nordic values of home, truth, and minimalism can enrich our lives.

Melissa’s most recent article explores a few Nordic phrases that define that culture’s down-to-earth appreciation for the obvious, the simple, and sometimes absurd events that mark our lives.

I can relate

We spoke Polish at home growing up, and my mother was the queen of weird proverbs. Back then, they would fly right over my little head. These days, some of her bizarre phrases make sense. We can chalk that up to the wisdom of middle age which, like the mysterious spare tire around my waist and the ever-multiplying crop of gray hairs…

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Barbara Andres

Muddling through, one story at a time. Grab a cup of tea, pull up a chair, and let’s get curious together.