“To take a break, a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life.”
If you have found this page, it’s most probably because you saw me on Instagram or Tic Tok under my personal page, called “Fika With Leah.” Fika is where it all began for me..in essence, my self-discovery story. Let’s rewind to 2019. At that time, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I was in a job that sucked the life out of me, my marriage was hanging on by a thread, and my first born child was moving out to start college. All these emotions snowballed into a big giant avalanche. That’s when I knew something had to change. When I sat with my husband to tell him “something is going on with me…something has to change,” he took that as “oh, you want to separate?” I didn’t know what I wanted. I just wanted someone to talk to and I felt he was my safe person to have these conversations with. After all, we were married for 19 years. Well…my husband took that conversation as a big green “Go” sign to begin separating. SO at this point, I’ve had my child move out and then my husband moved out. Both to go spread their wings, while I’m forced to look inward to face my emotions. I did seek counseling, which helped me tremendously to pinpoint the root of my feelings. (that’ll be another blog post)
Just to recap: my son and husband moved out, I sold my house and moved in with my mom with my teenage daughter. Talk about being at a low point in my life. At this point, I consciously decided to make the choice to find a job I’m passionate about. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the people I worked with, but I sure didn’t like how the system operated. One day I decided to finally do something for myself, which I rarely did, and treated myself to a facial. As I was laying there I was talking to the esthetician about her journey into the field. I liked the idea of being in a relaxing, spa-like environment, helping people feel better about themselves. It was in that moment I decided to sign up for Esthetician school, which was a 6 month program. I was going to take a leave of absence from my stressful job, go to school, then open my own business as an esthetician. (I also need to mention in the midst of all this I was presented with a really awesome opportunity to be a college instructor…more about that in another post).
It was April 8 (my birthday) and I lay in bed before I began my day, scrolling on social media. I saw a picture of the meaning of a Swedish word called “Fika” and the definition resonated with me, especially coming from a high-stress job. I took a screenshot to save for future reference. Later in the day, at school, one of the very first assignments was to make an Instagram account for our business. “Well, shit, I haven’t even thought about that,” is what went through my mind. I brainstormed names all day, completely forgetting about me seeing Fika that morning. It wasn’t until I was scrolling before bedtime, that I came across the word again on my feed and took another screenshot, completely forgetting I took one that morning. When I saw the two pictures next to one another in my camera roll, I knew THIS was the name. Plus it was my birthday, so the Universe was giving me a wonderful birthday present.
Fika is a way of life in Sweden. It’s customary to stop and take a moment out of your day and appreciate life. “Stop and smell the roses” as we’d say here in the South. Companies have “fika time” where you stop what you are doing, go find a friend or co-worker and chat about life, over coffee or a pastry. Pretty much just appreciating where you are and not letting your job consume you! And that’s what I loved about it. Life is about appreciating it, not dreading it. What a birthday present!! This concept that I resonated with became the bridge to my new life. One where I can stop and smell the roses daily, or what I’d now resonate as “Consciously Living.”
My spa business is named Fika Skön. Skön means “beauty” in Sweden, and it looked like ‘skin,’ so it was a play with words. I made my personal Instagram and Tic Tok account Fika With Leah, as a way to “Take a moment out of your day and spend it with me, Leah.” Hope you enjoy my story and lifestyle blog. The Lord has told me I need to share my story, so here’s how it all began. Stay tuned for much more to see how my life has unfolded since 2019.
Oh yeah, and in the midst of all this, I met one of my best friends, which is a spiritual medium. Our stories together have been enlightening to say the least. Remember that the journey is part of the destination…and mine is just getting started!!
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