Lore Fragment
Written during my first visit to Switzerland, this fragment reflects on care, presence, and the quiet magic of places that feel tended — even before they’re home.
If I had to choose one word to describe this country, it wouldn’t be efficient. Or rich. Or clean.
It would be beliebt*.Beloved.
There’s a hum in the streets here. Not loud. Not proud. Just… cared for.
The kind of beauty that only exists when something has been tended to.The buildings don’t feel cold or perfect.
They feel like someone carefully paints over every crack the moment it appears.
Like someone makes sure the flowers bloom just so.
Like every tile has been given quiet permission to exist.Even the wild places feel invited, not fenced.
It’s not the fancy watches, nor skiing. Not even the chocolate.
It’s the mindset:
This is a place people think of as precious.That care — it shows. It settles into your bones.
Not flashy. Not performative. Just present.And once you see it, you start to wonder:
What would it be like to treat a country — or a language, or a life —
as something that doesn’t need to be perfected…
only beloved?
*I later learned beliebt means popular — not beloved (geliebt).
But maybe that’s the point. What if to be truly popular is to be lovingly tended to?
This fragment is part of an ongoing reflection on language, presence, and belonging. A longer post is coming soon.
Wander further on The Path of Joy.
