Know the difference

There is a big difference between giving up and letting go. Letting go means freeing yourself from something that is no longer serving you. It means removing toxic people and belief systems from your life so that you can make room for relationships and ideas that are conducive to your wellbeing and happiness. Giving up reduces your life. Letting go expands it. Giving up is imprisoning. Letting go is liberation. Giving up is self-defeat. Letting go is self-care.So the next time you make the decision to release something or someone that is stifling your happiness and growth, and a person has the audacity to accuse you of giving up or being weak, remind yourself of the difference. Remind yourself that you don’t need anyone’s permission or approval to live your life in the way that feels right. No one has the authority to tell you who to be or how to live.

T'is the season to be jolly...

Christmas came and went just as fast as usual. Didn't really feel like Christmas this year for some reason. It's not that I wasn't in Sweden. Like I've said earlier my first Christmas in years, in Sweden was last year. ( omg last Christmas Eve was hectic, spent it with a good friend. And on the phone all night for hours with my  english boyfriend at the time )

Anyways, we did the almond in the porridge thing before we headed out to Adventure world, a bit outside of Perth CBD. It was a fantastic day. Sunny and warm. Borderline hot. Not a cloud in the sky. Heaps of people with esskies. Wish I knew you were allowed to bring stuff like that with you.

The theme park wasn't up to Liseberg standards ( gothenburg theme park ) but it was ok. It is a water park too. It's more of a "skara sommarland" kinda park. The boys loved it and that's all that matters. We all got a tad sunburnt that day.

Christmas Day we were invited to Ty ️and Gabi's for drinks and dinner. Proper Aussie christmas.

They had Ty's family there too. Or some of them. They were very nice people. 

The boys and I felt welcomed. I brought "glögg" ( swedish christmas wine that you drink lukewarm with almonds and raisins ), some swedish candy and I made meatballs. A bit of Sweden needs to be represented I reckon. They seemed to enjoy it. Maybe not the glögg but then again neither do I. 

It was a good Christmas Day celebration. I'm happy to have spent it with them. 

Boxing Day we went with yesterday's family to rockingham to go kayaking. 

It was so beautiful and more importantly it was so much fun. I kayaked with Razmus...lawd help me. He was brave and he made an effort to paddle. But let's be honest, I did all the work. Which made us stray from the group more times than I feel comfortable sharing. My spaghetti arms aren't that strong that I could keep up with the other adults. 

( I am still sore in my back and neck )

We never got close enough to see the Dolphins ( damn you spaghetti arms ) but we did see sea lions up close. That was cool. We stopped at penguin Island for lunch and snorkeling. Saw some penguins of course. The boys went in to snorkel but not me. The water is too cold here. I nearly die every time when standing in it to show support.

 On the way back it was choppy water. But it was easier to paddle as we had the wind to help us. Razmus freaked out in the middle of the ocean and I did too. But i couldn't show that. Why did we freak out you ask....well a) waves pushed the kayak too much for comfort b) sharks live in these waters..huge ones c) put a and b together and there you have it. Freaking out!!

We obviously made it safe to shore. 

In all it was an awesome day and I really appreciate that we went. 

I have to mention the 10 year anniversary of the Asian tsunami that killed my friends parents and injured my friend and her brother severely. They were in my thoughts this day. And so were the other people who got affected that I've gotten to know while living in Phuket. 

Horrible day. Let's never forget it. 

This year is coming to an end and I am happy it is. This year has been rough on me. And also real good.
I've lost people I love but I've also gained people.  I miss people that I still want in my life but are absent.
Ding-ding-ding.....What I tend to do when it comes to you I see only the good, selective memory.
So freakishly true that is. Funny how the mind works.

I've learned a lot and I've made mistakes. I'm just a girl....

Give yourself time to be sad, frustrated, and angry. Give yourself time to heal, accept, and to grow. Time doesn’t erase anything, but it can provide you with enough space to be able to breathe again. And then one day you wake up and your heart has a little bit of sunshine in it. And day by day people offer you pieces of their hearts to help remake your own. Allow yourself to be where you are at, to feel what you are feeling, and to experience everything that means you are healing. And during this process, look and listen for that glimmer of hope. Because one of the most beautiful things about humans is their capacity to heal, grow, and survive. Wounds might heal but scars they remain the same.

Happy New Year to all of you. May your new year be filled with positive thinking and people who truly love you. 

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