Tag Archives: summer

What summer is like

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I was running today and I was listening to music and I almost didn’t hear the sound of water running along the side of the road, ringing like bells as it swept across the rocks. And I felt bad for not really listening to it. The sun was almost setting and the grass on the side of the road was golden. The trees in the forest were turning blue from the shadow of dusk.

It was summer and I should enjoy it more, instead of just running past it, instead of listening to music in my headphones. But then I stopped feeling bad and enjoyed the music. And I enjoyed the sound of the water in the background as well, and the sight of the trees. When you feel bad for not enjoying something enough you are actually enjoying it. You are just stuck in guilt at the same time. To fully enjoy it you can do exactly what you’re already doing.

Autumn

Posted on by under life

September. September is my favourite Sweden month. A few days ago the winds blew away the last of the summer heat and now it’s chilly outside. It’s the beginning of the “want to wear gloves” kind of weather, but there are still sunday afternoons where the sun is warm and you can sit outside in a T-shirt.

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The other day we had an early birthday party for my sister. She’s going to Australia to do a DTS, a discipleship training school, with the same organisation I’ve worked with before. So it was a bit of a going away party as well. And we had brunch, which was the best part.

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Oh, and golden glitter. Those were the best parts, brunch and golden glitter theme.

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xx

Swimming in the Rain

Posted on by under life

“Hey,” my friend texts me, “I’m 10 minutes away, do you want to go with me and swim in the rain?” ❤️

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In other words: Summer has arrived. Really really. I go to bed after the sun has just dipped below the horizon and is rising again. The birds start singing at 2 am. (This makes me happy.)

2018.09.23 Goodbyes

Posted on by under Longer thoughts

(The sun falls into our garden at an angle, and it flows over the dead tree with five perfect spiderwebs in its corners. Threads grow from the ground up into it, my mum put them there for flowers to follow. They will continue next stummer. Right here, the sky is half blue, half dark gray. Water rests on the grass from ten minutes ago. It’s green still, and for now all golden, in this last rest of summer. For goodbye, go down with it.)

This is actually goodbye because I’m going to America again. Like, tomorrow. I’ll try to write there too, but here’s something I’ve discovered: This blog is about swedish summer, and about this cabin in the midst of it. If I continue, I need to figure out how to make it about the rest of my life. Possibly by figuring out the rest of my life. We’ll see.

Hugs from me.

Rest

Posted on by under life, selfies

I didn’t blog for a while and then I felt like I should but then I didn’t want to so I didn’t. But then I felt like I should again, so I planned a day to be productive, but then I wasn’t and in the evening I realised that I was so full from work and then trying to rest myself back to me, that I just wanted input before I could pour anything. Now I’m okay. It’s a bit unpredictable, that. I don’t know if that’s professional, but it’s how it is. (I think a lot about professionalism like that, how you should treat creativity as a business if you want it to be. But it’s really not that simple. And you’re allowed to be much more not simple.)

Anyway, I was working a lot, so here’s a selfies from my cabin (like old times on this blog) of late night painting flowers on my hand, and then my current mood after coming home from work.

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Headache.

July 24th

Posted on by under life

I just worked a 14 hour shift on 4 hours of sleep, and I’m like HIGH on something, it’s like time is no longer a concept and I just called my friend because I needed to TALK and then I couldn’t stop DANCING around the kitchen because it’s like my feet won’t stop MOVING. My friend says it’s sleep deprivation. Maybe.

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(Here is where I sat during break today, breathing in the sun)

(Randomly, SONG OF THE DAY is Whatever it takes by Imagine Dragons, the bridge to that song is like ahhhh) (I’m sorry, excitement makes me drop all my adjectives)

(Also sleep deprivation gives me so much inspiration, I need to stop and slow down and go to sleep but I just want to write and do stuff and okay bye)

Smultronställen

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DSC_0982The word “smultronställe” in Swedish means a little hidden away place where you can find wild strawberries growing. It’s also used as an expression for something good, maybe like a corner of a dvd store with movies that are good but possible underrated, or a specific destination that you’ve found for yourself and enjoy going to. I think of it like a place in the sun, like a place of unexpected sweetness that is a bit separated from the rest of your life.

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There are so many smultronställen in life. I found a literal one next to the road while I was out walking today. And they remind me of C S Lewis saying:

“Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.”

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But that is not less of an incentive to enjoy it. It’s like saying you shouldn’t enjoy your vacation just because you’ll only be there temporarily. Isn’t it rather the opposite? We have to learn to enjoy our fleeting moments and the frailty of things we love. Not because that’s what makes it beautiful – even though that might be true – but because that is what we have.