Find your sunset
Exactly one year ago, I was sitting in a small bungalow at Funky Monkey Lodge in Santa Teresa with the computer in front of me. I had some work to do before I could go down to the beach to watch the sunset with the locals and tourists. Here on the long sandy beach, people gathered every night to watch the changes in the sky until the sun's burning globe was slowly extinguished in the slow waves. A magical spectacle I must say.
In the middle of the jungle on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, this hidden paradise is housed in dense tropical rainforest and home to avid surfers, howler monkeys, spiders and yogis. So what did I do here all alone and far from the security at home in Stockholm and at Vår Gård ? I have never surfed, am moderately familiar with strange postures and am terrified of all kinds of insects.
In the end, I took courage and asked my boss Kadi Upmark for leave. No doubt she accepted my wish and I remember her saying "I want you to follow your dream". We agreed that I could work a little remotely during the trip, but that it was very important that I primarily focused on myself and my experience. I get warm in my heart when I think back on her selfless reaction and concern for me and my needs.
I have always loved to travel and have long dreamed of making a trip around the world, but it has been difficult to achieve. How do I solve it with the job and who can take time off to join me? The questions were many and prevented me for a long time from making a difference.
Now there was no return and in the autumn of 2019 it was over. Alone, because it was impossible to find someone who could accompany on such a long journey. Today I am very happy that it happened just because I had to trust myself completely and be open to new acquaintances, which would enrich me more than I could have dreamed of.
"Even the cockroach can be in a corner"
This journey has taken me to places I have never seen and challenged myself in many ways. I've been surfing on a wave in the Pacific Ocean, maybe just for a few seconds, but I did. I have also done long yoga sessions among screaming howler monkeys that expressed the feeling my muscles wanted to give. I have also showered with a giant cockroach without barking. It has been an exciting journey to say the least and I have enjoyed every second.
Today, when I look out at the gloomy gray sky that refuses to let go, just like the damn virus, the time before the corona feels like a different reality. I flew home in early March full of inspiration and zest for life to land in a horror movie where a pandemic took over the world.
Yes, it's hard not to mention the pandemic because we are all in the middle of it and doing our best to adapt. To get through it, we need to feel hope that it will end so that we can return to our normal lives without feeling limited.
A large part of my personal rescue has been all the experiences, meetings and memories I brought home. I can close my eyes and return to the warm sand and the magical sunsets whenever I want, even the cockroach can be in a corner… but at a reasonable distance.
Of course, it has helped me a lot throughout the year, but it has also given me the insight into how important it is to always create new experiences in everyday life that enrich life and make it easier to handle. Not to get caught up in the gloom and dare to look for the small flashes of light that remind us that the sun always goes down on the horizon behind the gray cloudy sky. Even if it is not visible.
Frida Janneson, marketing coordinator at Vår Gård