Surrounded by Wilderness

Since it was already dark when I arrived, I was mesmerized waking up to this view from my terrace.

Hello from a very stormy mountain world. I finally arrived at the beautiful Copperhill Mountain Lodge in Åre, Sweden. I’m currently writing to you while enjoying my breakfast. It’s currently 10am and the breakfast service is wrapping up. I’ve been sitting here for an hour getting a taste of all the local delights and homemade goods. I’m in breakfast heaven. A mixture of blues and country music is playing in the background with faint sounds of the banjo and bluegrass. Reminds me of my time living in the United States. Since there is a blizzard outside, I think I will enjoy the hotel today. I look forward to spending my afternoon relaxing by the fire with a warm hot chocolate.

I didn’t arrive until 5pm last night. It was a long taxi ride from the airport. About an hour. After I checked in I was ready to jump into my glorious hotel bed. I was reminded at check-in that I had dinner booked for 18:30 so after the most wonderful shower, I got dressed up and went downstairs for dinner. I ordered a fantastic lamb, garlic, and mashed potato dish. I had the most wonderful waitresses take care of me. Having been awake since 4am, I was keen to get into bed.

I sat there taking in the beautiful warm atmosphere of the hotel restaurant. I observed the other hotel guests with a smile and read some pages from my storytelling book. I was the only one dining alone. I thought of a few people I would love to share this experience with, but there is something powerful and healing about traveling alone. You truly get in touch with yourself and get to know yourself in a new way. All because of being in a new environment and having new life experiences alone. I think it also sends the message to yourself that you are safe and capable. I think it builds confidence, and for that, solo trips are rewarding. I have spent years living alone and moving to new countries and cities alone, but I've never really gone on holiday alone. The first time was when I went to Mallorca in October for a soul meditation retreat for a week, but that was filled with daily activities and sharing a house with the other girls. Here I'm truly alone.

When I went to Mallorca I was so nervous, but left feeling an abundance of love, grounded and connected spiritually. I took all the lessons back home with me. And that is what life is, a bunch of experiences and lessons, and that includes traveling. And isn’t it just beautiful to accept these lessons and allow it to shape you every day? When we realize how much our daily life experiences shape us, then we can truly be present with ourselves in every moment. I feel like my perspective has changed a lot regarding this. I often remind myself about the fact that I'm changing in every moment, so wouldn't I want to savour every moment? To savour the version I am in that glimpse of time? To learn from that moment and grow in the next? Sometimes we think we need years to change but maybe we just one single moment? If everyone realised that perhaps the self-help podcast and publishing world would fall apart.

I'm so grateful I had this realisation because it makes my days feel richer in some way. That every day I get a chance to grow, to learn more about myself and understand the world I live in from my unique perspective. To me, the human life is an ever-evolving and beautiful journey. It makes me want to slow down even more and take it all in.

Speaking of slow, that's exactly how I woke up this morning. I woke up at 6am, unfortunately with a blocked right ear. I can’t hear anything out of it and now people can't hear me when I speak because to me I sound very loud, but I must be speaking softer than normal. My body felt terribly dehydrated when I woke up, so after brushing my teeth and splashing cold water on my face, I drank a lot of water and ginger tea. I then went searching for the spa. I really wanted to take in the morning calm and tranquility.

The spa was not what I expected. It was even better! It was like a healing retreat in the mountains. Soft meditation music was playing in the background. You could hear the sound of water lapping in the pool, accompanied with soft warm light. It was still dark outside so while the mountains still slept, I went for my first swim. I swam for 30 minutes before taking a sauna. I went outside to do an ice bath but was surprised when the water was warm. They have an ice bucket, but I'd much rather take a cold plunge. Instead, I stood in the stormy icy wind before going for a second sauna. I felt a relaxation in my body all morning and wondered if this is our natural state? Perhaps we have normalised stress and hyperactivity in our life? If we are to address modern day health issues and diseases, this has to change. What are your feelings on this? I'm curious to hear what you think 🙂

I didn't bring any electronics with me to the spa so I have no pictures today. But tomorrow I will take some photos and film a little. Maybe I could do a little day with me vlog? I hope the storm passes so I can go on a husky ride. I've never been on one of those before.