It’s December, but it doesn’t look like it. If you want to see snow in Finland, you need to go up North. But then you will meet the darkness despite the snow. The sun doesn’t show in Lapland for a while because of the polar night. It’s right down austere if you’re not used to it. I think people who live in the South of Finland suffer more from it because they don’t know how to handle it the same way. Snow would make it less dark, but now it’s dull and depressing. It’s more about attitude. If you see darkness as bad and don’t see anything positive about it, you look at it incorrectly. You shouldn’t stop living just because it’s not light outside. The sun sometimes shows in the South of Finland, so it’s not always dark. There was snow in November, but it melted. The weather forecast predicted there would be snow this week, so that will be less austere.
Some people get depressed when it gets dark earlier, but I don’t mind. It’s cosy when you can sit inside with the lights on and do things you usually do. If I go outside, looking at people’s balconies with Christmas lights is nice. Then, the city has lights and decorations all over. If you complain about how grey and depressive things are, then it’s no wonder you feel depressed. Put on the lights and the candles. Listen to music, watch a movie and anything you fancy. Take a walk outside or take a car ride. Or maybe go to the shopping mall and look in the windows. You don’t need to buy happiness. If you look outside and think, “It’s so dark, ” don’t. It won’t be like that forever. When the darkness is over, you complain about it being too light. What is wrong with us? Nothing is ever good enough. Negative thinking is never good, so stay positive and find something good in everything. Have a cookie. Even the smallest thing can make you feel better. Things are only austere because you make them to be, so don’t. They can be simple if you want to.
What alternative career paths have you considered or are interested in?
Daily Writing Prompt
You might have a dream job when you’re a kid, but it changes as you age. Some people know what they want to be and stick to it from the start. In some way, I envy those people. It’s a good envy. My mind is more complex than that. I have a leak in my career path because I keep changing my mind. When I was 6, I wanted to be a baker because I liked to help Mum in the kitchen. Later, I realised baking is fun, but cleaning and waking up early isn’t. I bake occasionally but wouldn’t want to do it for a living. I also can’t do a job where you must always wash your hands. Wearing rubber gloves isn’t good either. You could say I have an education path, not a career one, because I don’t have enough job experience.
When I finished compulsory school, I had to apply for further education. My educational advisor suggested healthcare studies, but I didn’t want to apply. My mother said I should start somewhere, so I did. The education was for a year, but it seemed longer than that. I was 17, my first time living away from home. I only went home at the weekend. My mother was right; I should start somewhere because I could have been an outcast youth if I hadn’t. After primary school, it is good to have a further plan. I was lucky to have people who helped me decide what to do next. As a teenager, you don’t know yourself the way you do when you become an adult. I’ve been to two schools that I didn’t finish.
One was business school, and the other was photography. I didn’t like economic education for two reasons, Math and awful schoolmates. Photography education wasn’t fun either. It was at the beginning of the 2000s, and digital cameras weren’t that common. The teacher was all about film and refused to teach us about digital photography. I didn’t understand film development with all the different liquids. It was too complicated for me. The only thing I liked about the school was my roommate and the chance to use Photoshop in the computer room. The trip to the school wasn’t fun either. First, take the bus and then walk about 3 kilometres. I was only there for 3 or 4 months and then quit. My mother said I gave up too quickly, and in a way, I still do. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, and that’s the easy part.
I have considered different career paths. As a teen, I wanted to be a singer for a moment because I liked to sing along to songs I liked. Then, I thought I would want to work for a radio station or in a fan club. I even applied for a dance education, which luckily was cancelled. I don’t know what I was thinking with that. I didn’t even like school discos. I applied for the dance one after I finished my healthcare education. I was very restless when I was a teenager. I wanted to live in England because my favourite band, Take That, lived there and you could study English there for 3-4 months. I also wanted to see some other places than Finland. My mother didn’t want me to live there, maybe because we didn’t have the money to send me there. She didn’t even want to pay for a concert ticket when the band was here. The older I got, the less I wanted to live abroad. I’ve always been a homebody; I didn’t stay out late at night as a teenager. I had no friends anymore with whom to spend time anyway. I liked spending time with my parents and spending quality time with them. I didn’t have a reason to go out. They supported me in any occupation I chose.
I never really had a career path. It’s challenging to have anything when you concentrate on what you want to do for a living. Even if my mother was dying, she always worried about if I would find a job. She had been unemployed, so it was understandable she didn’t want the same thing for me. But it’s been inevitable these days because there are only jobs in places where I don’t have an education. I have never wanted to do only one thing. I like being versatile. Once, I thought about becoming a screenplay writer because I enjoy writing and have studied writing. But it’s hard work and an unstable job. I can’t even finish the fan fiction I write. A career in movies and TV would be an exciting career path. But it’s a complex business to get into. It would be different if I was younger, and I would have time to start something different. I have studied creative things, so I want to combine them.
I found what I wanted to do, but since I don’t have the experience, I don’t get a chance to work anywhere. They all want job experience but don’t even provide internships for people like me. They’re all for young people who study. My resume has too many leaks. Studying doesn’t mean a squat if you don’t get the chance to work in the field you studied. All I get offered are jobs that aren’t moving my career further. If I was younger, those jobs would be OK. I’m seriously thinking about becoming an entrepreneur. I have already taken courses in social media to promote myself. I just don’t know if any of it will get me clients, but it doesn’t happen overnight. Maybe I will finally get that career I’ve been looking for and end to the leak.
Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Daily Writing Prompt
Oh, happy days! I can talk about myself—not. I don’t like talking about myself. I’m not that vain. But I’m not talking; I’m writing. There are a lot of things people don’t know about me. My family members are all gone, but not even they knew exactly everything about me. I’m also not the person I was when I was a kid. Life experiences change you. You lose people in your life, but you also gain them. The same goes for how you see life. If you don’t grow and stay the same way you were when you were younger, you’re stuck in the past. I try to think positively because the world seems to be a depressive place right now. I don’t know how to plan ahead because I want to live in the present. Things I plan ahead are what I’m going to do next year. Will get back to that later. But now, things you might not know about me. Just a short list, though.
I use Duolingo as a game
I’ve started to use Duolingo recently again. Had a break from it for a couple of years. Not to learn a language. But to gain points and achievements. I have the language I know how to speak English, Swedish and Finnish. I try to learn other languages, too, but it doesn’t get stuck in my head. Some languages are easy to understand and learn, like Norwegian and Danish. I’ve started Italian, French, Irish and Spanish but haven’t used those in a while. I also use the app where you can learn music and math. So it’s entertaining to me, so I hardly remember much.
I love ice hockey
I watch sports often on TV, but my absolute favourite game is ice hockey. In fact, I’m going to see a game this evening (October 18) with my local team for the second time this year. They don’t show the games on free channels, so I usually listen to them on the radio. Seeing a match live has its own rewards. Even though no one ever talks to me or I don’t get to meet new people, the atmosphere is incredible. I would go more often if it was less expensive and the stadium would be closer. I watch the World Championships on TV every year. They show all the matches of Team Finland on the free channel. I only follow the Finnish league, so no NHL ones, even though I read the news if Finnish players have been playing. Sometimes, they show NHL games on TV, so I have seen some of them.
I love going to concerts
Silly, isn’t it. Especially when I didn’t like big crowds when I was younger and didn’t think I would ever go to a concert my entire life. But then came 2017, when I decided to see Robbie Williams in Tampere, Finland. The concert was outside, and the stadium was full of people. It was probably the best decision I ever made. The concert was fantastic, and I also got to see Erasure (pop synth duo) as a warm-up act for Robbie. You could say the live concert bug hit me that day. Now I’ve seen him twice, also in Finland. Concerts abroad are too expensive. The concert music is too loud, but you get used to it. The best part of concerts is to see your favourite act on stage, so it doesn’t matter. Besides Robbie, I’ve been to see Toto (next year, too), Duran Duran (best birthday party ever), Pet Shop Boys and Bryan Adams this year. And the plan for next year is; Kylie Minogue in June 2025, yeah! It’s been one of my dreams to see her live in concert. Fun fact. When I was younger, I wished she was my sister. I don’t know why, though.
I like driving a car
I got my driver’s license three years ago. Since my late dad wasn’t allowed to drive anymore, I decided to go to driving school. I tried it in 1995, but I didn’t finish it. Maybe I wasn’t ready. I didn’t like driving then. I didn’t need a car anyway. My late mother never had a license, so I thought it unimportant. But times changed, and I got my license. I don’t think I would have been so keen if my dad wasn’t with me when I was driving. He’s the reason why I got more confidence in driving a car. You get used to many things; the more I drive, the better it feels. Now I like driving. Driving long distances is a different matter, but I guess you also get used to that. Since my dad passed away, I own his car now. I’ve thought about buying a new car, but I just started to learn to drive this car, so maybe in the future. The vehicle is at least 25 years old, so it has its problems. I haven’t driven in the dark or slippery conditions that much, so I don’t know if I dare use the car in the winter. When the road is clear, it’s easier to drive. I don’t know if I ever get used to driving in the dark when other cars blind me with their bright lights on the roads. I plan to drive to an event in November, but I’m worried about driving that far. It will be close to Helsinki; the fastest way to get there is by highway. You never know the weather by then, so I’ll wait and see.
Those are some of the things people might not know about me. If you don’t know me by now, you might learn something after reading this post. There are Happy Days ahead, and one is happening tonight. Especially if my team wins. I’m just happy to be there, whatever the results.
In my world 