no promises, but...

For some reason Sweden has been on the mind a lot lately. There may have been something at school - they always seem to ask about different cultural perspectives in my program during discussions. I'm more than happy to throw in a potentially Swedish, though borrowed point of view. But I'm not sure that's totally it. The bakeries, the subway in Stockholm, the old writer's group, wandering downtown Stockholm on my own, the long, winding scenic highway out to mormor's, the quiet of country life, the ocean, silent ships slipping by, the cadence of the growing season at mormor's and all her different fruits - apples, cherries, yellow cherries, pears, raspberries, blueberries... Gosh, I might actually be feeling a little nostalgic about it. None the less, I found myself looking back at our Swedish blog, and really enjoying reading the anxiety at that moment, now knowing the future outcome.

I didn't really write a wrap up statement to our two years being there. In one sense it's not like a vacation where we take our perspective over there for two weeks, marvel at the differences and come back amused and unchanged. We were over there long enough to be changed permanently in areas, except now it's hard to say what is theirs and what is ours. I guess it is safe to say Sweden will always be part of us. Parts have become innate, just as living in Midwestern US, parts of you will always be influenced by where you live. Maybe part of my hesitation to write a wrap up is that a conclusion signals finality. I imagine I could write something that closes that chapter, but nothing will ever really close the book. I'll have to think on that. As a previous statement said, Sweden will always be part of us, of me. It's relational, not just 'there.'

This is perhaps a long segue into saying it would be really cool to get back to blogging regularly again. It seems since school started in the fall of 2009, the blog got set aside. Yet the things I've learned in the counseling program the past year and a half have been as formative as two years in Sweden. Just what avenue do you share it with people? Maybe it's not as exciting, like the inside of sprinkler head to an insurance engineer, or macro-economics to an MBA, but so much of it is applicable to life and the human experience. It's no silver bullet that cures all ills, but there are some real benefits to knowing how one ticks, and helping others explore that in themselves. Everybody is unique - different backgrounds, mindsets, experiences, wiring... One size does not fit all, nor does one approach fit all.

Anyway, not trying to side rail a good conversation, but there may be times where I want to throw some thoughts up here for the airing. Without getting too deep, some basic information about certain topics can be eye opening. Then there's the idea of getting back to keeping up with the family. Oh yeah, I remember. Come to think of it, that might be a start just getting back to that. More on that later.

Here's to awakening from blogging dormancy. At least for now. :)