Amidst the chaos in life, I’ve been finding some peace in nature. Connecting accidentally with my inspired, motivated and creative self. I’ve also had the privilege of hosting a 4 American girls just after my last blog post at the end of June, which was just fun to take a step back, explain what I’m doing, why, why I’m doing it here in Stockholm, and be reminded that even though I’m definitely not in an American, loud, open culture, I can still find that open, energetic, goofy self. Maybe that sounds strange to you who haven’t been in contact with me in the last 3 years as much, but I’ve definitely learned to be more reserved these years… NOT that that’s bad, it’s just that I still have a good dose of extrovert in me, so I haven’t been getting that side of my energy income lately, which made it that much harder to say good bye to those beautiful, curious and adventurous American friends!
Hmmm after that was Midsummer, which was actually not wildly eventful, like the stereotypical celebration. To celebrate the 4th of July, I went up to Norway! Wow. Pure bliss, stunning fjords, peaceful mornings on the water, cute Norwegians delivering bread by boat, etc. Just an awesome kickstart to my summer mindset of thinking creatively and with bravery.
Bravery, though. It takes a leap of faith, and courage to change paths of what you’re doing. I’ve been telling myself that I have enough “discomfort” in my life by living in a different culture and country, but the truth is that I’ve become a bit too comfortable in my “discomfort”- if that even makes sense. With a lot of thought and reflection this summer, I’ve realized I’m not making the active, brave, time consuming, thought-provoking and challenging steps that I need to (and used to) do in order to move more toward my goal at being the best example and teacher and inspiration toward sustainability. I do a lot by connecting with others, but I need to take it a step further by putting my words into action.
I’m going to start with spending more time outdoors, connecting with people- both near and far, really trying to find and make the most out of every situation and encounter I have. I can focus on where the positive aspects are- what I’m learning, being grateful for what’s around me. It’s a far too easy spiral to go down: criticising yourself, your surroundings, your thoughts, your progress, your goals…unless you’re quickly looking at the up-side of those criticisms, there’s nothing good coming from that negative track. Surround yourself with the people, activities, and beliefs that you love and inspire you and then zone in on your own thoughts and goals.
Maria's happenings 