Spring-time is a comin'

Greetings from the other side.

Life moves on at its own pace here in the countryside. Spring is coming, and you can really feel it in the air now. It's a really nice feeling! Spring does something to you, I think. It revitalizes you after the long, dark winter, and helps to lift your spirit up. We are moving towards warmer times, and it feels great! I think we all need to stop sometimes, take a deep breath and just enjoy the now. That goes for all seasons, but perhaps especially for spring. Take the time to enjoy the blue sky, the sounds of the birds coming back to life, the sunshine on the green pine and spruce trees, etc. It can really help give you some energy back. At least, that's how I feel. 

Yesterday, we went to a jumble sale ('loppis' in Swedish) at the school where my fiancee's brother works. They are tearing down the old buildings and building new, so they needed to get rid of a lot of stuff. There were a lot of things there, and a lot of people. It was difficult moving around to look at things. We managed to get a couple of items though. I was hoping to find a guitar, but unfortunately not. Oh well, maybe next time.

After we got home from that we sat outside in the sunshine for about an hour, drinking tea, eating a cinnamon bun, and talking. It was really nice just sitting on the stairs looking out over the fields and towards the forest. It was warm, the wind was calm, and it is moments like that that really make you appreciate living in the countryside.

Last week I helped out in a different place to where I normally work. It was only Monday and Tuesday, but that was about all I could do since I also had my regular job that I needed to do. It was good to see a new place, meet new people and see how they did things. I really enjoyed my time there.

I keep learning new skills since I moved here. Latest thing I have tried is that I have cut down my first two trees using a chainsaw. It's a lot of fun, and I do enjoy the physical work. I'm still very much a beginner at it, but I am learning. 

This will be all for this time.

See you all on the other side!

Autumnal reflections & the day after before

Greetings from the other side.

This might have to be another short one. Brain is still a bit fried.

Today kinda feels a bit like 'the day after'. The day after my first day back at work. The day after my birthday. It is also the first day of being one year older. Another day closer to my parents coming to visit. All in all though, it has been a good day. I was able to get a lot of things done today at work that needed to be done and, as has started becoming the norm over here now, I have met and talked to some more really nice people.

The sky is still cloudy outside, and there is that autumnal chill in the air that kind of tells you that winter is around the corner. The leaves are falling from the trees and gathering in great, big carpets of red and yellow on the ground. Autumn is a very beautiful season. It is a great time for stopping, taking in a deep breath of cold autumn air, and look at the beautiful scenery. Sadly the autumn has claimed many leaves from the trees now, and some of them stand almost completely barren at this point. At least where I live. At the same time there are other trees who still have almost all of their leaves remaining, some even carrying some green leaves still.

There is something meditative about this time of year. Looking at the colours and feeling the crisp, cold air, can really spark your creative side to life. It can also be calming and soothing for the mind, and the soul. It is as if you are given one last vibrant display before winter comes.

There is something almost magical about autumn, I think. It is filled with vibrant colours, and that silence that feels so typical of both autumn and winter. As if nature itself is going to sleep, in dreaming slumber waiting for spring to arrive once more. Every season has its charms, I think. :)

See you all on the other side!

Autumn Reflections & some other bits

Greetings from the other side.

Autumn has really painted this place in a lot of beautiful colours by now. Sadly the leaves don't stay on the trees for very long, but the ones that fall instead cover the ground in a beautifully coloured carpet, that rustles so gently when one walks through it. Autumn feels like a great time for reflection and inner soul-searching. If you are an artistic person I am sure you can find a lot of inspiration in the beautiful natural scenery and colour-palette that the world around you is painted in. For someone like me, who loves writing as well as creative and philosophical thinking, autumn is a time for reflection and philosophy. Granted, I think each season has its charms, and they are all beautiful and wonderful in their own way. My advise to anyone is to go outside, preferably away from the city to a place where you can be in natural surroundings, and just take a deep breath of cold, crisp autumn air. Let the clouds, the sky, and the colours of your surroundings fill your senses. It is a very serene and calming feeling. Just let go of your troubles for a little bit and enjoy the moment. It is very important to take moments. Moments of relaxation and serenity. Moments of introspection and meditation. Take a moment to realize just how beautiful our world really is. Regardless of whether you believe that it is God's creation or not, one thing I think we can all agree upon is that it is a beautiful place and we should all try and take care of it as best we can. It is our home, and currently the only world we have. It is our responsibility to look after it. :)


In other news pertaining more to my life here in Finland:

My knee is still aching. I have pushed through at work this week however, rather than calling in sick. If I did, none of my work would get done. At least if I am there I can do SOME of my work, if only at a slower pace than normally. At least I am not in constant pain, but the knee still feels stiff, sore and swollen. It looks a bit swollen as well. At least I am getting today and tomorrow off plus the weekend due to only working 60%, so that is very useful when I have these issues. I hope my knee will get better before Monday. Otherwise I might have to go and have it checked out.

My girlfriend and I went shopping earlier today and we had some errands to run as well. My knee wasn't too happy, but we got everything done. We are now set for having some of my girlfriend's family and friends over for engagement coffee on Sunday. Too bad none of my family are able to attend, but with the ferry out of the water for a two week period, that wasn't going to happen anyway. My parents will probably come over for a visit towards the end of this month anyway, so we'll get to celebrate with them then. :)

My knee seems to have survived all the walking between shops, etc, but my calf is really tender and tense. I think the poor thing has been taking the brunt of me limping around. So now I will let it rest as much as possible together with the knee. I am noticing that the knee usually feels best when I wake up in the morning, probably because it has been resting all night and not had any strain put on it for a few hours.

One of the things we managed to get for me today was a new phone! Yes. I finally have a finnish phone number. I still need to actually put the SIM card in, etc, but the fact that it is here now feels great. I didn't have much hope considering how things have gone previously when we have tried to get a cell phone for me. Happily we were more lucky this time around. Hopefully this means the end of overly expensive phone bills for my girlfriend when she tries to call or text to me.

I have not been able to go home to Sweden for a visit since I moved here some 2 months ago or so. It's a shame, but it is the way it is. I am feeling quite at home here, and I know I will get to go home soon enough. :) Now that I am not working so much I have more time to take a trip across the water. :)

I am also making slow progress with the finnish language. Due to a busy schedule and other things getting in the way, as well as me not having found a good app or other thing to help me study the language, I have only been able to take small steps so far. Learning a word here and there, and my father-in-law gave me some great tips on finnish pronunciation. I am not setting my sights too high, or aiming for impossible things, but I am hoping I will be able to at least understand it in the future, and make myself understood as well, even if I perhaps won't be able to hold too advanced a conversation. :) We shall see how it goes!

See you all on the other side!

Doing things things you love, is good for you

Greetings from the other side.

Today's blog post is brought to you from a, so far at least, sunny place somewhere in Finland.

Lots of things have been running through my mind lately, especially with the new blog coming up and writing stuff for that, but also things about life in general. Living here, I live a reasonably calm and "simple" life, in the country side. I have a job to go to, beautiful surroundings, and a wonderful girlfriend. Living here gives you lots of opportunities to reflect on things, which is great for when you have a blog to write. :)

A few days ago, I was finally able to return to roleplaying, having only been able to play with my friends once in the past 5 weeks or so. It was such a nice feeling to be back and doing something that I truly love doing, together with people that I love playing with. I don't think I had fully realized how much I had missed playing tabletop roleplaying games with my friends until I was back. I think it is important that you find things in your life that you truly love doing, that you keep doing them, and that you let them act as a vent for you. Only doing what is expected of you, or things that you "must" do, whether it be work-related or otherwise, is not good for you in the long run, I think. You need a vent. Something you love doing that gives you a very good feeling inside. Something which helps you relax and that you always enjoy going back to. Not because you HAVE to or NEED to, but because you WANT to. It may not be something that is good for you financially, materialistically, or anything like that, but the important thing is that it is good for your well-being. It is a social thing that you can do in a relaxed atmosphere together with friends. I wrote a piece recently on my other blog about why you should play tabletop RPGs, which touched on that a bit, as well.

My point is, finding things that GIVE you energy and joy is extremely important and good for you. They are the things you love doing in your spare time, either together with friends or on your own. They give you energy and happiness, and is something you do because YOU want to do it. Maybe it is a hobby, an interest, or even playing a sport. What is important isn't WHAT it is, but that it is something you enjoy. It can even be a good way to relieve stress, and just enjoy yourself for a while. So if you are suffering from a lot of stress in your life, and you haven't already found something you love doing that can help give you back some of the mental and emotional energy that stress can steal away from you, then I highly recommend that you try and think of something you want to do.

My gf has, stuck on the door to our fridge, a saying that goes "Do more of what makes you happy", and I subscribe wholeheartedly to that. I believe that doing things that make you happy is good for you, both mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

See you all on the other side!

A different pace

Greetings from the other side.

Life moves at a different pace here in the countryside. It's a nice, relaxing atmosphere, and I quite like it. That isn't me saying people here are lazy or anything like that. Quite the contrary actually. People in the countryside here tend to be at least as hardworking as anywhere else, but there is still a calm atmosphere. I think everyone needs a bit of calm in their life from time to time. Sure, some people thrive on stress, or at least claim that they do, but I do believe that even they need a break from the stress from time to time. A chance to re-charge their batteries, if you will. I think that is something everyone needs, whether they realize it or not.

A surprising amount of things can be accomplished when you are relaxing. Life will start flowing at a different pace, yet you still find after a while that you manage to do all the things you want to do anyway. Perhaps the important thing is that they are things you want to do, rather than things you 'have' or 'need' to do? It's food for thought. You are welcome.

If you are relaxed and comfortable, things start to work out better, I find. You don't get stressed as easily or as much, and things that previously might have felt tedious to do can some times even become enjoyable. Almost meditative. It depends on what it is of course, and what ends up feeling enjoyable or not is very much down to the invidual and the mindset of that individual.

But it is not all about what might feel better to do when you are feeling relaxed. It is also really important to remember to take the time to rest. Rest opens up the gate to being relaxed and calm, and can even help creativity I find. My creative mind does not thrive on stress. I guess that doesn't necessarily go for all though - after all, some work better under pressure. But a relaxed mind in a restful state is wonderful at suddenly solving that problem you had been trying to solve for so many hours earlier today, or suddenly remembering that important thing that had gotten lost amongst all the other things that occupied your mind in the stress of everyday life.

See you all on the other side!

A slice of life on the other side

Greetings from the other side.

This is my second attempt at writing this blog post after the first one mysteriously disappeared somewhere into the ether. I blame my computer, though I am guessing the real answer lies somewhere between that and me still learning how this whole blogging thing works. Oh well, let's try this again! :)

Yesterday I took it upon myself to do some yard work around the house. A lot of that time was spent cutting down and uprooting rowans, which grow in abundance here. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against rowans, but they are so plentiful, especially the saplings, that I kinda need to keep their numbers in check a bit. After a few hours of work I have only gone through about 1/5 of the area I was planning to go through. There is really no rush though, as I have the rest of summer and autumn in which to do it in, so there's no use stressing about it. :)

Stress is one of those things that I take seriously. Having suffered from stress-related issues before, I have learned the importance of trying not to stress too much, especially over things you have little or no control over. I am only human however, so that doesn't always work according to plan, but what is important is that I try to affect the amount of stress when I can at least.

I have found that working outside, in this beautiful part of Finland, being surrounded by natural surroundings, is very calming and peaceful, and gives a sense of serenity in the midst of the, sometimes, hard work. It can sometimes almost be a meditative experience of sorts. Working outside in the sun yesterday for a few hours, really did wonders, and it was such a nice feeling of accomplishment afterwards. Not the kind you get after coming home after a full day's work, but something that comes out of knowing that what I do improves things around the homestead, for my gf and I. That is a very nice feeling. I find that, in general, working outside is preferable to working inside. You feel much closer to the world somehow, and you get to be out in the fresh air. Of course, it is one thing to say that now, in the midst of summer, and quite another one when winter comes. But in general I quite enjoy being outside.

Speaking of being outside, I have found myself realizing just how similar it is here compared to back home in Sweden. The natural scenery looks the same, and it is only really when you look at the prices of things, or see signs in finnish or hear someone speaking finnish that you realize that you have crossed the border. It is ok though. I like finnish, even though I don't speak it. I guess it comes from my love of languages in general. I also really like the dialect of the swedish-speaking population here. To some degree I think it brings out more of my own dialect from back home as well. :)

See you all on the other side!