I have more and more come to feel that an important part of life is noticing and appreciating the small things. Like the hug from my wife in the morning. Or the smile from the driver of the car we let by. The beautiful magnolia tree that has just started to bloom. Or the joy […]
Moving to Japan has in many ways been like experiencing youth again. I have had a whole new unknown world to discover and explore and I feel like I am still very much in the beginning of this discovery process. One particular area that has been like a treasure trove for me has been the
What can be better than a beautiful spring day and a drive along the Itoshima coast line? Well, it turns out, a drive in pouring rain. Our family has a favorite beach where we often go to swim during summer, and every so often when we take a leisurely Sunday drive in the off-season, we
Children’s curiosity never ceases to fascinate me. Neither does the thought process of my son and every time he shares his thoughts with me I feel so grateful. It is exciting to see how his logic is evolving while at the same time being a part of a child’s world where no rules of nature
Alfons Åberg is one of the most popular children’s book characters in Sweden, created by Gunilla Bergström who sadly passed away three years ago. The first Alfons-book was written in 1972 and I grew up listening to stories about Alfons Åberg, and have continued that tradition with my son who also has come to love
Sometimes there are coincidences that make life happening around me seem almost choreographed, like a ballet where each pose, each jump is decided beforehand, long before I get to see it. Saturday morning our son was doing funny-walk in the kitchen. He went back and forth in a way that reminded me of Charlie Chaplin,
Every so often I find an opportunity to introduce some new aspects of life or some science to my son. And sometimes a piece of mythology finds its way into our life (of course I leave out any gruesome details, of which there usually are plenty). My son is very curious and often starts to
I have come to love Japan, the nature, culture, food, the people – I feel at home here. But sometimes there is a little part of me missing Sweden, thinking of my old home with a twinge of longing. I have my parents there, my sister and her family, my dear friends, there is the delicious
I had almost forgotten how wonderful it is to drink a hot cup of tea (or several) in the evening after my son has gone to sleep. During the long hot Japanese summer, drinking hot tea has been the last thing on my mind (although for hot coffee, somehow there is always a time and
Maybe it was the air, its soft touch on my cheek. Maybe the light, the morning sun shining from a hazy blue sky? Maybe it was the smell of damp grass, that made me think of him. How long has it been since I last saw him? A year? No, it must be longer, but
Every weekday afternoon I go and meet our son when he arrives on the kindergarten bus. It has only been a few weeks but I feel like I already know the life happening on that street corner. My new routine has been added to this piece of city, and like an observer I stand there
Before my cataract surgery, was it not for my previous experience of seeing, I would have been completely lost as to what the world looked like. I spent my days imagining a third dimension in a 2D world with a few mishaps here and there, like poring water outside the glass. So the first thing