Last day before the next one

How did it felt? My last day at work was today. Well, on the way to home I stopped on a cafeteria in a market and had a cup of hot chocolate and a cake. The feeling was something like: Something has changed, but you really don't know yet what.

This feeling is pretty familiar. Although your body has already physically changed a location, your mind is still having the "old" thoughts and has not adapted to the change. When I have been trekking in Nepal, it will take 2-3 days, before my mind really accepts the change. Although I have been flying to the other side of the world and has been living in a totally different athmosphere, culture and climate already a few days. And then after couple of days I can notice myself that the rhytm of my life has changed and I have adapted towards slow life.

This happens vice versa as well. When coming back from Nepal being there one month, my mind is still there on the mountains although I'm physically back to western civilization in the middle of busy business culture. Gradually my mind is turning back to western time perception with busy schedules and mores stressfull environment.

I'm waiting the transformation and adaptation of my mind. Meanwhile I'll open a bottle of cider and have a sip. I'll start to enjoy on Friday evening...

Laziness

I must confess, I have been lazy. But fortunately I have learnt to be merciful for myself, I'm not feeling bad or shamed for the things I haven't been doing. Somehow I'm waiting the things just getting ready without doing anything. Sometimes it works, but in most cases it doesn't. Laziness just belongs to October and November in Finland, when the bodies are slowing down after active summer and preparing for the long and dark winter time. It's a natural survival trick.

Yesterday I was visiting my friend's family and their 4 year old children, Anna, was playing, talking, skating on the floor, climbing, laughing, yelling, eating, asking all the time. The energy level she had was from the other planet... The body and mind of the children doesn't seem to remember and follow the same patterns than the adults. Their body and mind are living now, in this moment. Their body is not trying to get prepared e.g. for the coming winter, like mine.

But that's strange, because my mind should know I'm not going to spend a winter in Finland. Therefore my body should be active as well due to coming sunshine and outdoor life...

I have read from somewhere that body is much wiser than the mind. You need to listen your body and try to act and live based on what it tells to you. This is of course a challenging, cause your mind is always trying to tell you something else based on the requirements set by the environment (like "you need to have enough strength to do still this and this...").

The decision to have a brake was based on the feelings of my body. I have been trying to learn to listen it better and better over the years. I'm really looking forward to see what it tells after the break. If it tells to play, talk, skate on the floor, climb, laugh, yell, eat, ask all the time then the leave has done everything for my body it can.

Anna, see you after 10 months and I'll teach you to jump like kangaroos, climb like monkeys, skate like Kiira Korpi, yell like foghorns, talk like Tommi Mäkinen and laugh like Arja Koriseva.

Preparations

There were a long list of things to do for the trip. Day by day I can get rid of some items from my list, but there's still lots to do before I'm ready to go...

I have reserved my flight tickets and first I'm heading to Chicago on Friday 13th. I'm not a superstitious of Fri 13th, it's just a day like others (I hope :)). I'll be staying in Chicago over the weekend to see my long-time Peruvian friend, Paola. From Chicago I'll be continuing on Monday 16th to Cancun, Mexico. That's all I have planned for now.

From the long list of things to do I have managed to
- Reserve the flights (KLM,Mexicana)
- Discontinue TV payment
- Terminate newspaper subscriptions

What I still need to do is
- Get travel insurance
- Inform authorities that my car is out-of-traffic, so I don't need to pay insurances, taxes, etc...
- Get the second credit card (if one credit card stolen, I'll have a second one)
- Get the VISA to Cuba
- Inform post office to redirect my post
- Get somebody to take care of my plants during the trip
- Do the packing
- Withdraw some money and change it to USD
- Organize farewell parties for my friends
etc....

On the shore

Had a short walk in a cool weather next to my house. Lake Nasijarvi was dark blue and empty, sailing boats were already lift to the land. I took the picture with my mobile phone and sent it with the text to this blog, just to see how mobile updates will work...

3 weeks, 3 tents, 3 sleeping bags

Still 3 weeks to go before starting my leave. I have been preparing for the coming trips by buying necessary and unnecessary items. The most important ones being mosquito net, insect repellent, travel towel and light and small sleeping bag. I have had 2 sleeping bags for the treks during Finnish winter and autumn/spring time, but no light bag for summer usage only.

When doing inventory of my gear I realize I have 3 tents, 3 sleeping bags, 3 sleeping mattresses, 2 cookers, 4 bagpacks, etc... I have learnt there are no good gear for every possible conditions, if you want to have safe, easy to use, light and functioning gear then don't make any compromises.

Years ago I bought skis, which were meant for both classical and free skate styles. It was a mistake. Skis were not good ones for either of those styles, but more or less useless for both. Since then I haven't made any compromises when selecting the gear for my hobbies. I have been very pleased...