One thousand pictures of the sun

Okey okey,

the title is exaggerating.

I didn't post here a thousand pictures.

I posted twelve.

So no worries, this is not that long post.

These pictures are from our first adventure with the sun,

after the long polar night had ended.

So obviously, unconsciously,

all my pictures from this adventure are about the sun and the light.

Meeting the sun again.

After so many sunless (and in this winter case, grey cloudy days)

Feels amazing.

It's like seeing your dear friend after a long time. 

You realize how much you have mist it.

So you are just standing in the cold winter air

and felling the sun rays dancing warmly on your skin.

You start to smile.

Feeling a moment of extreme happiness.

Many people ask me,

how can I live here in the north,

where there is no sun in winter time.

And I always tell them,

that the polar night is my favorite time of the year.

This might have something to do with my grim northern heritage in my blood

along with the taste for heavy metal music. 

For me it's all about the polar light and the frozen moment.

I love the dark night sky, stars, norther lights and moon light.

I love the pastel colors of the day.

I love the white snow that rises so high

you can jump from the roof and vanish in it. 

I love the stillness.

And I love the moment,

when you can see the sun the first time.

That is a feeling you can not understand,

if you haven't experienced the absence of the sun light.

It is the same feeling you have in the end of the summer,

when you see the first stars on the August sky

and realize how much you have been missing the night sky and darkness

after the four month lasting sunshine.

The diversity of the northern seasons is the thing I love.

The changing seasons give a rhythm to my life.

Embracing all the seasons gives diversity to my life.

This skiing trip to Pittiövaara was also my first adventure outdoors

in too long time.

It gave me so much energy.

Enjoying the fresh air, sun and snow.

And laughing.

Sitting on top of Pittiövaara hill.

In a snow depression, covering us from the northern wind.

Eating sandwiches and drinking hot tea.

I found myself thinking again,

that this kind of moments,

are the ones making me happy.

In moments like this I feel deep peacefulness in myself.

I feel calm and balanced.

I feel whole.

Same time I also feel melancholy about

time and again forgetting this feeling

in the middle of everyday life. 

After this adventure,

feeling happier, energized and stronger,

it feels also easier to face the everyday life. 

One break to the wilderness doesn't yet balance exhaustion,

but it definitely gives you more energy

to take the next step on the way to recovery.

From the end I will quote a song,

which was my soundtrack of life,

when I moved to Lapland.

For me the song speaks about

the beauty of the north, 

the bravery of going alone

and leaving all old behind.

"Far away, far away in the land where the sun will never rise

Far away, far away in the place with marmalade skies

Far away, far away in the land where the sun will hide its eyes

Far away, far away in the place with marmalade skies

All alone she moves

Into a broken paradise surrounded by the colored lights

On and on she moves

Into a paradise without day and without night"

 - Alle Farben, She Moves (Far away) -