Du Och Jag, Alfred (For Lilja Sif)

Emil from Lonneberga is a small Swedish boy, who constantly gets himself into a world of trouble in Astrid Lindgren’s heartwarming books. He lives on a farm with his parents, sister, a witless milk maid and their farmhand – Alfred. Alfred is Emil’s best friend and they have each other’s back. It is Emil, who saves Alfred’s life by taking him to the doctor on a horsedrawn sleigh through a horrible snowstorm when Alfred suffers from blood poisoning. And every time they have “a moment” – good times and bad – they look at each other and say: “Du och jag!” (“You and me!”)

This came to mind when my faithful reader Lilja Sif challenged me to write a post from the following question:

What famous quote/philosophy changed your life, the whens, wheres and the hows of it?

The quote isn’t famous ( I don’t think) and it didn’t exactly change my life per se. But the way I use it and the ramifications it has, THAT I use it sure does. Because it has become one of those private little things my husband and I say to each other in situations where “you and me” beats the other things people say, like “I love you” or other mushy stuff.

So when it is New Years Eve and everyone else is doing cocaine with strippers and bungee jumping at fancy parties, we stay at home. I cook all day and we eat and then we tuck in the kids and watch an episode of our favorite show on DVD – and then we look at each other in the sofa and one of us says  “Du och jag, Alfred” and the other one replies: “Du och jag, Emil” – because we both feel blessed to have found another person that  I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.Y.  boring.

Or there was that time I had a heated discussion with a friend about a very popular book called “Your Competent Child”. We talked about it all afternoon. On our way home, Hubby – impressed with my deep knowledge of modern child psychology asked: “What’s the deal with these ‘competent children’?” to which I replied: “That kids are competent.”

What? Was I going to let it stop me that I had not read a single word in that book? That I pulled everything out of my ass?

And then we laughed really hard at that and at the fact that I am such a fucking knowitall. And then we grew quiet. And then he said: “Du och jag, Alfred.” Because he wanted to tell me that he likes me – cockiness and all.

Next year it will be ten years we’ve been married. TEN.

He has very little practical sense. He panics over stupid things. He has a bad temper. He is super-interested in really lame and nerdy things. He recently bought a hat which makes him look like an idiot. (He thinks it makes him look like Don Draper.) He really can be the most annoying ass on earth.

But he is MY annoying ass. And he’s got my back.