i rode on the bus today. the super hot bus, with lots of smelly people. disgusting, but true. how did i entertain myself? i listened to some awesome music with my new awesome, mocha-colored urbanears headphones. oh yeah.
in the evening, i went to a meeting out in the country at a real, typical, old swedish house on a farm. it was my first time in a genuine swedish farmhouse… something else that was new today. the house was built in the late 1800s. it was decorated all country-fied. and i loved it. the meeting was the last board meeting, so the chairperson (an amazing, deeply spiritual, 70-something feminist who can do everything) invited the members of the board for dinner… and the meeting. it was salad, bread, and pie. pretty much everything homemade or home-grown. i could taste the earth. delish.
it was a long evening & meeting, but so good. i work with good people. i am freaking lucky & blessed. at 10:30 pm, we were finally ready to leave the farm & head home (only about 10-15 minutes). but, i couldn’t leave before shaping a sunset shot. living in a country that is not your home country, gives you opportunities to experience something new quite often. and that is something i love.
hope you held on & made it through thursday… the weekend is knocking on the door. peace to you all.
well, maybe i’m not really wearing my emotions on my sleeve since i’m not really showing them much these days. it’s not that i don’t want to, but i don’t really know how. its not that i’m feeling sad. or happy. but, both. and everything else in between. my emotions are right on the surface. it is as if i am filled with so many emotions, all different kinds, bubbling inside me. and i can’t say anything about them. it doesn’t work to try to use words. they won’t come out. i’m not sure if i want them to. they’re just there. inside me. all of them – the good ones & and the not so good ones. but i found this, and it speaks loudly to me.
my first apple. still using it.by the way, check the time. now look how bright it is outside. crazy sweden.
with technology, we always think about moving forward. progressing. everything getting better. faster. thinner. sleeker. cooler. smarter. and to be honest, that is what happens with technology. it gets “better” with time. it improves. i mean, when i was in college/university blah-blah years ago, we only had 1 computer lab. we had to sign up for a time to use one of the schools 10 computers if we wanted to have our papers typed, not hand-written. true story. i had a word processor in my dorm room. do some of you even know what that is? it’s a fancy typewriter that had a 3 inch screen that showed what i was typing on the paper that came out the back as i typed it. yep. and then, my cell phone. it was in a bag, and it sat on the floor between the 2 front seats. i plugged it into the cigarette lighter and it was only possible to use when riding in the car. it was a car phone. there were no real cell phones. i listened to cassette tapes & eventually had a crapload of cds in my car, all over the floor. in order to change the cd, i needed to stop at a stoplight or pull over, since it required so much effort to find a cd, take it out of it’s case, & insert it into the cd player. oh, and don’t even get me started on the internet. it was just being introduced to the public. i remember some conversation with an old boyfriend about email accounts. he had set up one (he was always on the cutting edge. still is.) and i had not idea what the hell he was talking about. why would i need an email? couldn’t i just call people? or visit them? (i had the same battle with texting some years later. hehe.)
so, in a rather short amount of time things have changed drastically. for the better? well, yes, i think. although, i could name a few negatives too. but, i’m not gonna do that in this post. in this post i’m admitting that i’m a techie junkie. there i said it. lina & i want the newest things. these things are fun & exciting, but smart & practical in many ways also. they make things work better, make life easier, allow us to communicate & keep in touch better. yes, yes, they’re expensive too. generally. but, we save our money & decide to spend it on these kinds of fun things, instead of buying new & expensive clothes, shoes, bags, etc. all the time. it’s our choice. and we choose to invest in cool, new, up-to-date technical things. yep. we’re little bit nerdy in this way. and perhaps a little materialistic too?
however, today as i’ve been thinking about technology & all the great things it has done, i thought in general about moving forward. is it always good to be pushy & move forward? always anxiously waiting for the next great thing. is it good to always be so eager to progress? perhaps the desire to progress and move forward at warp speed is a symptom of desiring to be in control. at least it is for me, in some ways, i think. i want things to move on, to what i want them to be. and i always associate moving forward with being better. i want things done in my way, in my time. therefore, i want control over the situation. i suck at backing off & letting things be. but, perhaps i need to slow down. to accept & take things as they come. things will progress. that’s natural. but, perhaps sometimes i need to back off and stop trying to control the progression. just let it be. let things take the time they need to take. and while it’s taking it’s time, try to be aware of what’s actually happening now, how i’m feeling now, instead of always missing the now because of wishing/hoping for what comes next. besides i can’t get to “then” without experiencing “now”. i need today. and won’t i be a better person for living for today instead of always looking toward tomorrow?
in other words, wait. trust. hope. live.
it’s a fine balance, being proactive with our dreams, hopes, and futures… and waiting, letting things take their own sweet time, letting life unfold, trusting the process. life moves so fast anyway. why would i want to be in a hurry? i’d be missing out on so much.
here’s to all of us finding the courage & strength to back off a little bit. to slow down. to let time do it’s thing. here’s to trusting that, in time, we will all feel peace.
pink is most definitely not my favorite color. at all. but, these here little beauties make me think i might be able to find a little space in my heart and in my life for a little bit of girly pink. gorgeous little leaves!
one other little thing… i got some cool urbanears headphones in the mail today. i freaking love them.
ok. i went a little crazy on this one. and yes, i’m addicted to the little collage thing-ys this week. so sue me. i can’t help it… it just how my creative juices are flowing. well i went crazy taking pictures of the places where i was standing simply because i was standing (in line!) so many places. felt like i was constantly standing & waiting today.
waiting. one of the hardest things to do. super hard to wait in a line, when your brain is thinking of the 10 million other things you’ve gotta do, or of the 10 bajillion other things you’d much rather be doing than waiting in line. but, waiting in lines is a fact of life. i usually do serious people watching when i’m standing around. i make up stories of what they’re doing, where’s they’re from, and what their lives are like. sometimes i go a little crazy with my imagination. it’s pretty easy to do when you’re visiting the immigration offices. so, how do you keep yourself busy in lines?
then there’s waiting for answers or for problems to be solved. waiting for things to get better. waiting for what might/might not happen. here’s when my imagination gets the best of me. in an attempt to control things, i make up scenarios of what may or may not happen, and i drive myself crazy while i’m waiting.
nope. i’m not a fan of waiting. but, wait, i must. and somehow, i will figure out how to pass the time… perhaps look around & live in the moment. hmmm… have i said that before?
waiting to get the day starting. and waiting in lines all over the city today.
where i stood just before i satisfied my inner little american girl with a mcdonalds lunch in the sun.
good luck standing & waiting. sending you patient vibes & peace.
it’s nothing really. just a little case of homesickness… wanting to take my love & head down south to the beaches of north carolina, see my family, and stay a while.
well, with today being my love’s birthday, and the fact that she is the most important thing in my life, this post is most definitely inspired by her and our celebration of her throughout the day. for her birthday, lina & i spent the afternoon outside in the archipelago. the east coast of sweden lies a short 30-40 minute drive from the city and it is truly a gorgeous & peaceful place. but, we don’t get out there that much. the thing is, we don’t have a car & the whole bus thing takes waaaay too much planning. so, today, lina’s parents picked us up & drove us to the coast so the 4 of us could celebrate a birthday fika in the beautiful weather today. perfect.
as i looked through my pictures from the day, i realized that there is another thing i can’t live without (though not as important as my wife, of course)… nature. especially trees & water. so, here are a few pics from the day. a day filled with the most important thing in my life… spending time with my love surrounded by water, trees, and a great, big, blue sky.
it was a beautiful day. and i’m a lucky, lucky girl.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love
Seasons of love. Seasons of love
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes!
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?
In truths that she learned,
Or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned,
Or the way that she died.
It’s time now to sing out,
Tho’ the story never ends
Let’s celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Seasons of love!
Oh you got to got to
Remember the love!
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love spread love
Measure measure your life in love.
i couldn’t help but think of this song as i thought about my love’s birthday. we listened to it yesterday as we sat outside in the warm sun, just enjoying being. yes, another year has gone. so much has happened. so much is happening right now. and there is so much more to come.
as years & milestones pass, i always find myself reflecting a little. today i’m reflecting on this amazing song… how do we measure our lives? our years? i dare say that the message of this song, to measure life with love, with the moments of simplicity & joy that we shared, is most definitely the way to live. it’s not about how much money we made, whether we lived up to others’ expectations of ourselves, or how much power & success we have; whether we kept it all together and lived life according to what we think we should be like, look like, act like. no. those things do not make us rich and successful. that is not living. that is existing.
instead, to measure our life in love is to think back to all the moments that took our breath away, the moments that inspired us, that gave us peace, that made us sing, that made us cry & laugh. the moments of sharing a cup of coffee, or a pint of beer, of sitting & chatting, of dreaming & discussing, or connecting with old friends & creating new friends. a life of love is a life of passion, one that is not afraid to dream, risk, take chances, try something new.
think of whatever makes your soul sing, what makes you feel alive, like you are completely in touch with yourself… whole, connected, inspired, able to breathe. where were you inspired? where did you feel free? loved? amazed? overwhelmed? at peace? how many moments like that have you had this past year?
this song that lina and i love so much, reminds us to live in the moment. to never give up. to never forget that life is meant to be lived fully… filled with adventure, love, inspiration, and peace.
so, my dear love. my amazing birthday girl, this song is for you. it’s meant for you. here’s to a year of life moving into the past, taking with it all of it’s moments of fear & frustration and it’s moments of inspiration & beauty, and it’s seasons of love. and another year – full of new experiences, new hope, and new, amazing moments- appearing before you. with so many new journeys to plan. so many daylights, and sunsets, and midnights, and cups of coffee to come. so many moments and seasons of love.
here’s to the next 525,600 amazing minutes in your life, my love. i am so proud to be your wife and i can’t wait to share the next seasons of love with you! i love you with all that i am.
i live in the middle of the city, so the few trees that line the streets or are dotted around the parks mean a lot to me. whenever i get a chance i stop, look up, and take a deep breath. there’s something about a tree that grounds me, makes me feel at home, makes me feel safe, makes everything simple, and puts everything in perspective. i feel complete. connected. whole. i remember what’s important, what’s true: nature. beauty. family. breath. air. faithfulness. yes, i get all of that from a tree, the living example of the circle of life and the true teacher of the art of being.
find a tree somewhere this weekend. stand under it. let it envelop you. look up. soak in its grandeur, majesty, and simplicity. observe what it does, it’s purpose. just let the tree teach you whatever it has you teach you in that moment. enjoy the beauty of the moment.
well, first i made myself late for the bus. so all i could do was sit & wait. hehe. people watch & such.
later on in the day, i made a paper origami crane. never done that before. it took a while, but i got it. i’m not really an arts & crafts kinda girl, but, spending time with my love doing japanese paper art was pretty cool.
hope your friday has been good. welcome to the weekend!