T -47 days
So, I guess this is happening. I'm leaving my cozy office job and comfortable life in Luxembourg to move north. Right now, it's really hard to remember why, but I'm sure I had good reasons back when I made that decision.
I used to love working in an office and was convinced that I had truly found my calling counting commas and correcting other people's grammar. I felt that the right use of language is really important and that every sentence was worth fighting for. That is until I took a break from my office life to move to Iceland for three months.
Up north, in winter, in almost complete isolation, somehow, priorities shift and life is of a different quality. Not better, certainly not easier, just a lot more intense. Back in Luxembourg, I would often spend months on end in my routine, without noticing the seasons pass. In Iceland, nature makes you feel alive every day. Not necessarily in a good way, by the way. You might be so cold that you start worrying about your outer extremities or the ever-present strong gale winds force you to lean into them making your face go numb in the icy spray. Or they might simply blow you over. You might slip on the ice and bang your everything for the umpteenth time. You might have to drive through a snowstorm with literally no visibility, only to get stuck in a heap of snow 500 m before reaching your destination. Most likely you will get stuck in yet another heap of snow two days later, forcing you to have someone come and rescue you yet again (at which point you might start carrying a shovel with you wherever you go, so you can dig yourself out of the smaller messes you get yourself in).
But you might also get to lie in a hot tub under the night sky, all by yourself. If you've been good, nature might switch on the crazy light show and treat you to the elusive northern lights, which are so pretty to look at and so hard to capture on camera, forcing you to be in the moment, because they might be gone again at the blink of an eye. You might appreciate a cold evening beer as the ultimate luxury, because you know how arduous it was to come by. You might have the privilege of spending time with Icelandic horses, who are wonderful companions and are completely unfazed by the harshness of the weather and their surroundings. You might also find that the tiny, close-knit community you find yourself in is full of warm, welcoming people, who are looking out for each other at all times.
So while I still love counting commas and annoying the heck out of people by correcting their grammar, while I enjoy my job and my life in Luxembourg, they do not make me live in the moment. Iceland does. This is why I am going.
I used to love working in an office and was convinced that I had truly found my calling counting commas and correcting other people's grammar. I felt that the right use of language is really important and that every sentence was worth fighting for. That is until I took a break from my office life to move to Iceland for three months.
Up north, in winter, in almost complete isolation, somehow, priorities shift and life is of a different quality. Not better, certainly not easier, just a lot more intense. Back in Luxembourg, I would often spend months on end in my routine, without noticing the seasons pass. In Iceland, nature makes you feel alive every day. Not necessarily in a good way, by the way. You might be so cold that you start worrying about your outer extremities or the ever-present strong gale winds force you to lean into them making your face go numb in the icy spray. Or they might simply blow you over. You might slip on the ice and bang your everything for the umpteenth time. You might have to drive through a snowstorm with literally no visibility, only to get stuck in a heap of snow 500 m before reaching your destination. Most likely you will get stuck in yet another heap of snow two days later, forcing you to have someone come and rescue you yet again (at which point you might start carrying a shovel with you wherever you go, so you can dig yourself out of the smaller messes you get yourself in).
But you might also get to lie in a hot tub under the night sky, all by yourself. If you've been good, nature might switch on the crazy light show and treat you to the elusive northern lights, which are so pretty to look at and so hard to capture on camera, forcing you to be in the moment, because they might be gone again at the blink of an eye. You might appreciate a cold evening beer as the ultimate luxury, because you know how arduous it was to come by. You might have the privilege of spending time with Icelandic horses, who are wonderful companions and are completely unfazed by the harshness of the weather and their surroundings. You might also find that the tiny, close-knit community you find yourself in is full of warm, welcoming people, who are looking out for each other at all times.
So while I still love counting commas and annoying the heck out of people by correcting their grammar, while I enjoy my job and my life in Luxembourg, they do not make me live in the moment. Iceland does. This is why I am going.
This is simply amazing. I am sure you'll have a great time there and I am so happy for you, even if I will miss you. But that's a very good reason to come and visit you in that amazing place you'll be in (bringing some good Havana Club with me)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to have you come over!
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