Today’s word, spensierato (spehn-see-eh-rah-to) is something we all would like to be. Just like our title say, spensierato means “carefree,” and isn’t that a feeling we all love?
Of course, being spensierati (this is its plural form) isn’t easy in this day and age, but we can always try: sometimes all you need is a nice cup of coffee or a walk in the countryside.
But spensierato, if you ask me, is an adjective we Italians often use with a hint of nostalgia: we talk about the anni spensierati dell’adolescenza (“our carefree teenage years”) or, more philosophically perhaps, some may think that solo i giovani possono essere spensierati (“only the young can be carefree”).
Spensierato comes from the noun pensiero, which means “thought.” Pensiero derives from the Provençal word pensier which, of course, comes from a Latin verb, pensare, or “to weigh.” Indeed, when big decisions must be taken, you can well say that thinking can be a weight.
Spensieratezza, or “lightheartedness,” is the feeling, the state of mind even, of those who are spensierati: it is the product of happiness and safety, of comfort and joy.
Children are spensierati by definition because they don’t know what worry is. The young are spensierati because they feel they can conquer the world by shrugging their shoulders and the future is there for them to grab.
But what about the rest of us, is spensieratezza something we can still experience?
Yes, it is. We just need a break from work, a couple of hours far from the computer, an evening out with good friends.
– I bambini sono sempre così spensierati!
– Children are always so carefree!
– Le vacanze servono per rilassarsi ed essere spensierati
– Holidays are for relaxing and being lighthearted
– Goditi la giornata con spensieratezza!
– Enjoy the day with lightheartedness!
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