Day 15: Carrot

In my very first blog entry (Day 1: Life became a day longer today), I was telling you that in Sweden, you learn to let the weather steer your life in spring and summer. What I failed to mention is how often winter shows up just when you thought you were well into the warmer seasons. Camilla posted on FB today that she'd read in the newspaper that it was colder out today than it was on Christmas. And I can attest to the fact that it's been raining, non-stop, since the morning. And not just a light drizzle mind you, a downpour. And windy. All day. Yesterday too.

This was the kind of morning that lent itself to pulling the covers over my head, not to getting out of bed, not to mention out of the house! On days like today, I've learned, I have to have compelling motivation to venture outdoors. I need a carrot. What works best for me is to ensure I'm expected somewhere...preferably somewhere warm and cozy.

That is how I found myself on a bus to Alunda at 10:45 this morning, on my way to visit Åsa and her two girls. As the rain was pelting the bus windows and cars were swishing by, I thought how lucky I am to have had a reason to get up this morning. Åsa and her oldest were waiting for me at the bus stop and when were done grocery shopping, we came home to be greeted by Sashimi the cat. It was toasty in their house and Åsa and I sat down to a cup of tea and to discuss life.

One thing led to another and soon we were tackling the laundry room, which got a complete makeover. Now to the rest of you this might sound like an absolutely horrific way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but I was in my element. All the cupboards got emptied. A system of laundry sorting was put in place. Surfaces got scrubbed. Several loads of laundry were washed. Most importantly, Åsa was so pleased. And grateful. As for me, imagine being appreciated for something you love to do and are good at. It doesn't get better than that!

So thank you Åsa, for this and for the great dinner and pleasant company. Which we are still enjoying, even now, candles and all, as the rain contiues to come down. Outside.

Day 14: Inspiration

Love this post on FB by a mom (my fabulous photographer friend Juliana) about her 10 year old daughter (the also fabulous Brisa):

And then Brisa wrote a mail to her favorite magazine (KP tidning) and said she would like to be in an article about "blowing glass" WITH her brothers. And yesterday the magazine called and booked her for the article....ahahha....and I didn't know anything about it......all right.....day's wake-up call they are becoming more and more independent, my little babies! ♥♥♥

How is that for initiative? And don't you just love that she included her (younger!) brothers? Think about it: you're a magazine editor and you get an e-mail like that from one of your readers. Totally irresistible, right? 

There's a lesson to be learned here. Figure out what you want and then make it happen. I had that spirit as a youngster. Many of my friends did too. When I was in high school, for example, a group of us wrote and put on a musical the proceeds of which went to Willowbrook Hospital, a mental institution that was the subject of an exposé for deplorable conditions at the time. We also had a Playbill (theater program) for which we sold ads. I canvassed many neighborhood stores and got them to put ads in our program. It was the first Playbill in the school's history that actually turned a profit.

That's one of the things I love about Mattecentrum (The Math Center) where I do volunteer work helping students with mathematics. Today the team hosted an end of term open house at their office in Östermalm. It was invigorating and inspiring to be around these "youngsters" (hey, at my age they are still youngsters to me) who have built up an organization that helps more than 3000 students a year in nine cities around Sweden, and two in Denmark, not to mention innumerable students online. And they're funny and warm to boot.

Hur många vuxen poäng får du ihop?

Avslutningsmingel på Mattecentrum...the Math Center end of term mingle

When I'm feeling that my get up and go got up and went, it's nice to be reminded that it's just on a break. And that the Brisas and Mattecentrums of the world are at it full force and there to rekindle the entrepreneurial spirit within me. Tack ska ni ha!

Day 13: Gratitude

The sky turned ominously gray just as I was getting back into the building where I live. The weather can be like that in Sweden, unpredictable, changeable. So I was so happy to get in a walk during the brief period of sunshine this afternoon.

Not much on the agenda today. Not even a to-do list. Felt somewhat at loose ends with nothing to do. Somewhere along the way, however, a feeling of deep gratitude gradually swept over me as I was sitting on the living room sofa, snacking on chips and watching an episode of House via air video. On a dreary day like today, how fabulous to have a roof over my head; no, not just a roof, a rather lovely apartment on the ground floor with access to our garden directly from my kitchen. The fridge has food. The closets clothes. There are shelves filled with books, read and waiting to be read. Hot and cold running water. And a dishwasher! (I love my dishwasher...running it gives me a deep sense of satisfaction. OK, I'm a nerd, I admit it!) I have the luxury of a do-nothing day. Of not having to worry about where my next meal is coming from, or when...or IF for that matter.

Then there are the people in my life, both near and far. Close friends and more distant acquaintances. Family, both biological and adopted. The upside to how much smaller the world has gotten with air transport is the ability to travel, meet new people, visit old friends and family. And the internet has made it so much easier to maintain contact. The downside is that you cannot have all the people you care most deeply about in one geographical area. Sometimes, I think that would be so nice. But then I would lose the opportunity to travel and experience their lives in their environments.

So today's happy is all about gratitude. It's about seeing the glass not half-empty, but full. It's the happy within while looking at the rain outside.

The view through my kitchen window

Day 12: The Big Apple in the Big Apple

Choosing today's happy was a piece of cake...birthday cake...well, sort of. To honor Frankie Manning on what would have been his 98th birthday, dancers from around the world videotaped themselves dancing the Big Apple. The Big Apple is both a ring and partner dance incorporating steps well-known within the swing dance community, including Suzie-Q, Truckin' and Boogies.

The exuberance of the dancers and the swinging music is contagious. I found myself giggling as I watched and somewhat teary-eyed as well. How amazing that three years after his death, Frankie still inspires this kind of community and joyfulness. How blessed are all of us who knew him.

The videos are being compiled into a montage. In the meanwhile, take a look at the New York City tribute...I dare say it will get your toes tapping and fingers snapping. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you're interested in learning more about the Big Apple, check out Judy Pritchett's DVD here:
http://www.swingdanceshop.com/bigapple2.html

Day 11: Sacred time

For the record, there's no point in calling me between 11:50 and 12:50 weekdays Stockholm time. That's my hour for communing with Cesar Millan as he helps dogs and their owners work toward achieving balance in their lives. I'm not really sure how I came to start watching The Dog Whisperer. I've never owned a dog, and frankly I'm not all that fond of them. But right from the start, I fell in love with this show. Perhaps it's the feel-good aspect (most of the time, dog and dog owner "live happily ever after" together...but not always) or the wisdom Millan imparts to the humans he works with. Whatever it is, I can always count on TDW to bring a tear to my eye or a smile to my face. So 11:50 to 12:50 weekdays is sacred time.

Today, I leave you with the following clip that made me laugh out loud:

- What do you enjoy on a sunny summer day?
- Birgit answers, "Sex maybe, I'm not that fond of ice cream,"

She sure looks happy, doesn't she?!

P.S. As it turns out, the question posed was "How many ice creams do you usually eat on a sunny summer day?" and her answer was "sex" which means both "sex" and "six" in Swedish. Either way, it made me chuckle. 

Day 10: Just the thing

A corollary to "a place for everything..." is "the right tool for the right job."

 Ad slogan used for True Temper tools since at least 1907 which 
 may not have been the first use of the saying, but did help popularize it in America.       

This might not always be the job for which the tool was intended, or invented, but somewhere along the line you discover it's the perfect solution. I am intrigued by the mechanism that makes it occur to you to put something to a use it wasn't originally meant for. Why, for example, did it occur to me to put an egg slicer

to the task of preparing potatoes for home fries? In hindsight, it is the perfect tool. You get even slices of the right thickness. It's quick and easy. Anybody else out there slice their boiled potatoes this way? What other uses have you put your egg slicer to?

Many years ago when I was an undergraduate at NYU, I knew a woman who had a great holiday tradition with her best friend who lived on the west coast. They exchanged Christmas presents by post and each of them would include one kitchen gizmo in the package. The gizmo had to have a specific use and had to be sent unwrapped and removed from its packaging. Then they would each have fun trying to figure out what the implement was intended for. Some years were harder than others and we would get to join in the fun of trying to help Joie figure out what her friend had sent.

In the "right tool for the right job"-in-the-kitchen department, no one outdoes Tupperware. Here is a photo of two task-specific Tupperware products, one of which I actually used just the other day. Two gold stars to the first person who identifies what either or both are meant to be used for!

 What's your favorite right tool for the right job?

Day 9: The goddess of order within

Why is it that going from this

to this

(as I did today) makes me genuinely happy? I've always liked things in order. My mantra, unoriginal but nonetheless, is "a place for everything and everything in its place." Over the course of the years, I have used this principle to help more than one person (not always to their delight I might add :-)) to bring order to their chaotic homes. I always warn them that it will get a lot worse before it gets better and that patience and perseverance are key. We start by emptying all the closets and drawers and shelves and so on. You have to make place for everything before you can put everything in its place. Then there is the process of sorting and, hardest of all to the sentimental among us, discarding. The reward, when we're all done, is not only a neat home but also a system for keeping it that way.

I recognize that not everyone shares my passion for order but I have a hard time understanding why. I sympathize with people who feel cleaning is a chore; I'm not too fond of it myself. In fact, I use a cleaning service twice a month in my own home. (BTW, a very effective way to ensure my place stays neat since it is impossible for them to clean when the place is cluttered...and, yes, my place does get cluttered). What intrigues me is how people can live in clutter and still think. Even more intriguing are those who seem to prefer clutter to order. What does clutter have to recommend it? 

Maybe it's the other way around. Maybe I need help introducing some chaos into my life? Trouble is, I draw the line when I no longer can find something I'm looking for. Then I bow at the altar of the goddess of order within and sim-sala-bim drawers get emptied, closets get organized, i's get dotted and t's get crossed. And with a great sense of inner satisfaction, I look all around and admire my handiwork. And smile.