Relaxing & Deepening in Tyresö

7/17: 

Talked, relaxed and sunbathed with Carina all day on her deck. Relaxation and connection is so meaningful and important in life and something that most people don't make enough time for.

We also went for a long bike ride.

It's been a relaxing few days and nice deepening my connection with my Godmother. It feels like a retreat and we've had a lot of deep meaningful conversations.

7/16: 

My Godmother and I biked to a free outdoor gym close by Barnsjön. Felt good to work out.

I walked around in the city for a bit and bought some touristy gifts and a shirt that said "Stockholm". It didn't feel as exciting as I thought it would. Last time I came, I hadn't been to Sweden in 7 years, so it was very exhilarating. Whenever you have an expectation that an experience is going to be the same as before, it rarely is. You simply have to be in the moment. I came up with this quote a couple years ago: "Happiness is like rainbow ~ If you chase it, you'll never catch it. You simply have to enjoy it."

Gamla Stan

Mumintrollet

Swedish stuff

Gamla Stan

Slussen

Swedish pancakes 

At 4 PM I visited my grandmother's sister, Li in Karlaplan. My half-siblings (on my father's side) and their partners and kids came along too. It's been so long since I've seen any of them, and some I met for the first time.

7/15: 

I went for a bike ride to Barnsjön (it's been so long since I rode a bike) and stared at the raindrops falling on the lake. It's so meditative to allow yourself to just stare sometimes. I also vacuumed the house and picked strawberries and cherries.

7/14: 

My Godmother and I went for a long walk in Tyresö Naturreservat (and saw a few snakes!) and I gave her a 1.5 hr massage in the evening which she really appreciated and helped us bond more.

7/13: 

I went for a walk with my baby cousin Jonathan (now almost 17!) and their dog AND cat, had dinner with my uncle's family and watched a good French movie called "Intouchables" in the evening.

My cousin playing the saxophone

 Their dog, Satara

 

Their cat, Kiwi followed us the entire walk!

Sweden

7/10:

I woke up at 2:30 AM and had energy even though I only slept 5.5 hrs. It felt good to take it easy after all the action, so I didn't feel like going anywhere and I took a walk in the morning to the forest. Then hung out with Carina on her patio and took a nice 3-hr nap, had dinner and went to bed at midnight.

Jet lagged in the forest

"Zohar"

My room

7/9:

My godmother Carina, who I'm staying with, picked me up and we got groceries at ICA and made dinner. It is so peaceful and quiet at her big house outside of the city, especially compared to New York!

7/8:

Wow, hard to understand I'm here in Sweden... It's been three years! The flight felt long even though it was only about six hours, but it was delayed also about four hours. I watched two movies and didn't get much sleep.