Sangfroid.
Now there’s a word for you.
Whenever I look at this word, it sounds like Sang Freud in my head. Like, if I were writing a book and in it old Sigmund was singing the lyrics, I’d write: “My name is Sigmund. I like to dig man…” sang Freud. Sangfroid.
But that is not how it is pronounced. In reality, it sounds elegant and slightly mysterious. It goes like this. San-FRAHHH. It sounds perfect for someone who keeps their cool. Figuratively or otherwise.
It is derived from the French sang-froid, literally meaning “cold blood.”
It doesn’t describe “cold blood” as in a cruel sort of way. But instead, it describes calmness. If you can picture some dandy dude. Like, someone who, when the world around them bursts into chaos, they simply adjust their sleeve cuffs and bow tie and say, “Let’s not lose our heads.”
We could all use a bit more sangfroid these days. The calm. The peace.
We need the kind of thing that keeps us from honking when someone cuts us off in traffic. The kind that lets us smile politely when our coffee order comes out wrong again.
It’s composure wrapped in coolness. And kindness. It is grace under fire. Equilibrium in our inner being.
In short, sangfroid is serenity with style.
May we all know this beautiful word in our hearts and in our being.
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“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.” —Mahatma Gandhi
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“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace within it.” —Anonymous
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“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.” —William James
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“Be still. The mud settles, and the water becomes clear.” —Lao Tzu
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