There’s a Norwegian term for deliberately embracing time spent outside, for both the mental and physical benefits.
It’s frifluftsliv (pronounced FREE-loofts-leev), something Alaskans will find familiar, in spirit if not in name. And some say it’s a way to cope with the many limitations on life during a pandemic.
One of them is Andy Meyer, a professor of Scandinavian Studies at the University of Washington, recently featured in a Seattle Times article about friluftsliv. Meyer says it’s a deeply rooted part of Norwegian culture, but it can be — or should be — for everyone.
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If you or your community have a term for a similar concept, please let us know, we’d love to hear about it. Email us at news@alaskapublic.org.
Casey Grove is host of Alaska News Nightly, a general assignment reporter and an editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Casey here.
