There are a couple of yikes factors. I entered this Gurushots photo challenge by mistake. As always, I was only supposed to participate in the challenge and not enter the exhibition. The entrance fee for the photo exhibition was about 9 euros. But what was done is done. I entered with 4 photos, and this got the most votes. So now I’ve been selected to be one of the over 1000 digital photos to be displayed in the exhibition. I got an invitation to the opening night in November in India. But of course I won’t go. I’m just happy to be part of the photo exhibition.
Photo: Yours truly, 2025. Taken with Canon EOS 40D
The other yikes factor is that my birthday is around the corner, on June 2. How time goes fast. In two years, I’m turning the big 5 0. That’s even more yikes, but I prefer not to think that far ahead. Age is nothing but a number anyway. I won’t be celebrating that day, but the next day. I will see Duran Duran in concert for the second time. This time, it’s indoors, so there won’t be weather problems like it was in 2022. That was a wet one, but I still had a good time. I can’t wait for this one. I’ve got a good seat. Or it’s standing since it’s on the floor.
The most yikes factor is the Kylie Minogue concert on June 23. It’s in a more difficult place to get to. First, I need to drive to Espoo, Finland, to the hotel and then take the tube from the hotel to the concert hall. I have never been in that part of the country. It’s close to Helsinki, but there was too much hustle with public transport from there, so I decided to go by car. At least then I don’t need to go by schedule. That’s going to be another travelling adventure.
The journey to the end of the year 2024 is going on. The year wasn’t the way I thought it would. My dad died, and that’s something I didn’t think would happen so soon. I hoped he would have lived as long as possible, but you don’t always get what you want. I didn’t think my mother would have passed away at 68 years of age. On Sunday, it’s been 11 years. You don’t think about the day your parents die when you’re younger. You only live your life, and you don’t think about it. I had classmates who lost one of their parents when they were in school, but I never thought I would lose mine as early as I did. It doesn’t matter what age you are; losing a loved one is never easy. You might as well be 5 years old. Except when you’re older, you know what it means. When I lost my big sister in 1983, I was only 6 years old, and luckily, I didn’t remember much about it. My dad used to say that I was smiling more before her death. It does change your whole life when you’re at the start of it. It’s tough, especially for the parents, to lose a child. We took a trip to Europe to get past the sorrow. We went to Germany, the Italy-Austrian Alps, Denmark and Switzerland. It was cheaper because I travelled for free. It was possible in the 1980s, and I don’t think you can do that anymore. Getting away was one way to handle grief. You get other things to think about.
I have to make my journey on Earth without them. I still have good memories of them and can always return to photos and videos. I believe things happen for a reason. When you experience life challenges, you get mentally stronger. You need to because life goes on, and you make the most of it. The loved ones want you to move on because life is for the living. There is a time and place for everything. My next journey is the Christmas cruise to Tallinn, which I’m looking forward to. It will be different without Dad. At least I don’t need to ask anyone else where to go.
Picture it (that’s what Sophia from Golden Girls started a story). It was 2013, and I started my 2nd blog on WordPress. I had one before, but I didn’t continue with it. I’ve been signed to WP much longer than I’ve blogged. But I digress. I only posted 5 posts in 2013. My mother had cancer, and she died the same year, so blogging was the last thing on my mind. It wasn’t until 2014 that I began to blog more often. The Daily Post was the reason why I continued. Oh, the Daily Post, those were the days. Zero to Hero challenge was the name of the game at the time. Blogging was and still is a way of sharing thoughts with other people. The triangle of my blogging is fun, learning, and sharing. Those are the biggest reasons why I blog.
When I started writing this blog, the posts did not include images, and I didn’t think many people would find or read the blog. Sometimes, I was frustrated, and I didn’t know if I would continue with it. But I didn’t give up. I thought I would write for myself and simultaneously learn to write in English (in British English spelling). Blogging is about learning; you get better at it when you practise. I started to put images on posts randomly in 2015. Now, there are images on all of my posts. It does look better instead of only text. This is what you learn during the years you blog. Just like in real life, you live and learn.
Blogging is fun and even better when you can share your thoughts. I’m glad people have found my blog. This is my 10 years of regular blogging. The most active traffic to my blog was in 2020. I don’t know why since I have 965 followers, but not very active ones. Maybe I’m losing my touch. The truth is, blogging isn’t the way it used to be. I’m not that into it, but I still will continue with it. I love writing, and I do it as a hobby. Business blogging is different, and this is not one of those. I have read about it online and have been taking free courses. This blog is about my personal opinions and experiences. I’ve written so much English I don’t think I can write a blog in my own languages, Finnish and Swedish. It’s taken a long time to get where I am today in the blog world. I’m glad I didn’t stop blogging. I’ve got lovely comments and likes on my post. I shouldn’t forget why I started blogging in the first place. It wasn’t to get as many followers, comments and likes as possible (even if they are always welcome). It was about having fun writing, learning new things and sharing thoughts. I won’t understand those who “brag” about how many followers they have on social media. It’s not about quantity; it’s about quality. Those “followers” might be bots or glory hunters, not real followers. If you’re only starting out blogging, don’t give up. It takes time to hit it off. Starting a blog is easy, but updating it regularly and keeping the blog ideas rolling is the hardest. Getting followers to your blog might look impossible, but they will come to you with patience. It also depends on your blog and how much you promote it. The most important is that it keeps you motivated to blog. Don’t do it because everybody is; blog because you enjoy it. That’s how I keep blogging. It’s a bonus if someone else shares my views. This was my triangle as to why I blog.
In my world 