You might have heard the expression “a few good men”. Perhaps seen the film with that title. The idea being that it may take only a few good men - and/or women - to turn a bad thing or circumstance into something better, against all odds. It takes dedication, perseverance and belief in what one is doing. The opposite is also true. It may take only a few bad men (and women, but more seldom) to turn a good thing or circumstance into something worse, perhaps much worse. Continue reading

When do we reach our intellectual peak? When our thoughts and reasoning seem to travel in the speed of light, and we absorb everything we experience with such lightness - at the age of fifteen perhaps? Or later? Twenty-one? No matter which age, there comes a time when we start noticing the decline. It is inevitable, like all the phases of life. Of course we get less agile physically - if we now ever were that in the first place - and lose a lot of our physical strength and capacities. Continue reading

It is Thanksgiving Day today - in the United States. In Canada they already celebrated it, the second Monday in October. And yet in some other countries some other day. But no matter when that special day is, it is always time to appreciate and reflect upon our lives. Every day could be a thanksgiving day. A day to think what we are thankful for. Grateful for. And blessed with. Continue reading

Time for another Who Said That! Try to guess or remember who is behind the quotation below, and if you don’t know, you’ll see who at the very end of the article. Remember to scroll slowly. So, who said: You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge! Whatever it is, you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge! Be it addiction (drugs, food, sex, gambling etc), obsession, co-dependency, any other emotional issue or bad habit, you have to face yourself in order to change the way you live. Continue reading

This site is mainly about life. About celebrating and commemorating the lives and all the various journeys of life that we people have, and have had throughout time. An intricate part of that journey, of anyone’s life, is death, and the way each and one of us perceives it. This is about celebrating that fact. Not in any macabre manner, but out of respect for the life we were given. Continue reading

Did you ever wonder as a child how Scrooge McDuck could dive in his money vault full of coins, and not get hurt? And why would he do that? Simply for fun and to relish the fact that he was rich? Even a child could understand though that all those coins didn’t appear there by chance, but through some sort of effort. Perhaps work. Or by being very thrifty. A characteristic that many a parent tries to instill in their offspring. Continue reading

There is always more than meets the eye. Don’t we know that! What goes on up front is seldom the same as what goes on beneath the surface at any given moment. No matter how good you are at analyzing the surface level, you still may remain totally in dark about the things happening underneath when there is no way of checking out what is or isn’t. Appearances deceive. Let’s go through some of the ways they do. Continue reading

is it gonna end? It’s The Question millions of people ask these days. When can we live and go about our lives in a normal manner again? Finally cast away all this protective gear, and breathe normally? Like we used to not that long ago. There are definite signs in the air and everywhere that - no, not of it being over - but that we, so many of us, are getting so so fed up with having to gear up and be extra cautious. Continue reading

Another piece in our series Who Said That! We present a quotation, a few ideas around it, and finally the person behind it. There are so many good quotes by people throughout history that reflect the complexities of life that do not change a whole lot, no matter which era you live in. So, who do you think said the following: _**“You don’t have anything to give that you don’t have. Continue reading

Like bubbles in the air, we are. Floating in the independent spheres of our own. Sometimes touching the surface of another, attaching to it. Sometimes floating alone till the eventual burst. But never being absorbed by another bubble, no matter how close we get. Independently our own, in each bubble there is everything we need, and each a reflection of its environment. And no matter how big or small we are, we are each perfect in our own way. Continue reading

One of the most memorable movies of the last century. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, directed by Miloš Forman. Many of us have seen it at least once, some quite a few times. Some of us read the book by Ken Kesey before seeing the movie, and noticed how the main character switched from the Chief to the white guy. But nevertheless the film was every bit as good, if not better. Continue reading

Music heals. In the deepest abysses of sorrow, music heals, soothes, takes us somewhere with no time and space. Listening to a piece by Garth Brooks, Time by Hans Zimmer, Schindler’s List by John Williams etc etc, through the earphones at top volume and sobbing in rhythm with it all can be an utterly cleansing, cathartic experience. Here’s one more. On The Nature of Daylight by the British composer Max Richter. Continue reading

Aaron & Shawn Ashmore This is a fascinating subject when it comes to people: having a twin! For those of us who don’t have a twin (most of us), and in this case, an identical twin (almost all of us), it is pretty hard to fathom that there could be someone who looks just like you. And with whom you would be so much closer in every sense of the word from the moment you are born. Continue reading

When is a pretty new article series here in Journeys of Life that we attempt to develop into something much bigger. The stories here can entail most anything, and is really about creative writing – as opposed to some other article series here. The When can be a beginning of a question sentence, or a story that follows. These stories will typically be short ones, but can be long-reads as well. Continue reading

Doesn’t that’s sound a bit horrific? It is a term not necessarily known to all of us. But the phenomenon is commonplace, this erection of hairs on the skin due to cold, fear, excitement, euphoria or sexual arousal. Before that erection happens, there usually is a sudden surge of warmth throughout your body. In colloquial language, we know this phenomenon of course as goose bumps. The reason for that choice of words naturally being that our skin then looks like the skin of an unfeathered goose. Continue reading

Johnny Johnsson - May 0, 2020Now that there are too many people in the woods, and many not remembering to keep their distance! Is it so in Finland? You in Finland seem to appreciate the tranquility of the forest more than Swedes! As you know, I love the forests, and unfortunately I see as few people there now as before the outbreak of the pandemic. Yes, I do believe that Finns might love forests a bit more than the Swedes. Continue reading

Rush hour at a Path station. Photo credit Dan DeLuca I started writing this article before COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 changed things for us all. Now at the time of publication, it takes of necessity another turn. Hopefully the corona pandemic too. The article concerned our healthy longing for that quiet place away from the constant crowdiness and noise in the streets, escalators, corridores, stores and wherever people need to be and go. Continue reading

You never know when it is time for someone to go. Any time you meet a person it might be the last time you see him or her. This we know, logically. But we don’t know when it is time. Or sometimes we do. Like my grandma seemed to know as she was bidding me farewell me leaving for home after visiting her in another country. She was pretty old Continue reading

The words we didn’t say. How they haunt us sometimes. Maybe more than the words we did say. Even if those too might haunt us. At some point of your life you may realize that - despite all the inherent intentions of verbalizing your thoughts, encouraging your loved ones to spread their wings and soar high, expressing your love towards them, being a dear aunt or uncle, showing how much you actually care - you actually haven’t done much any of that. Continue reading

Now, let’s have a few words about that ever important word - now. So very important - and so hated by Procrastinators Ltd. It doesn’t take much energy to utter it, but oh boy what it entails! The energy you need to exude to make things happen! The courage to let go and let them happen! We say It’s now or never. Or like Golda Meir asked: If not now, when? Continue reading