I had a recent discussion with a friend about words that are difficult to translate into other languages. She pointed out that it tells a lot about the society and people, these culturally-bound concepts. Her example was Gemütlichkeit - .
Mine is serendipity, which apparently is one of the ten most difficult English words to translate. I have always said that I have a "good star" - it's most notable for helping me find parking spots (parallel parking skills don't hurt). But it's something more. It's something that deposits just the right kind of friend when you need one, something that delivers you into a new work situation when the old one grates, something that finds you that perfect item to compliment your new outfit buried in the clearance rack.
We have many jobs on this planet - but one of them might be opening ourselves up to both coziness and insight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/science/07brain.html?ref=science
