My childhood home is on the riverside and when I was little me and the kids from the neighbourhood used to go swimming there from early spring till late autumn. I remember how we used to go on a little rock in the middle of the river, every time someone was standing on it and the rest of the children would swim around it. When there was a high water in the river older children ran from afar and jumped straight into the water. When we weren’t in the river we were beside it playing or fishing, or listening to music and writing poems (yes, we really wrote those, a lot). There’s a little artificial lake in my hometown too, that’s another place where I’ve got the most of the memories of my childhood summers. I remember the days when school year ended and we cycled to the lake so fast, we used to spend the whole day there no matter how cold the water was.
My first touch to the sea as long as I remember is from television. I used to watch a series called Rosa and Roope, which was about two children who lived on the archipelago. They had those red life jackets and they went sailing with their father. Oh, how I loved it! I dreamed about living on a seaside too. Another recollection is from my friend’s summer cottage which was on a little island. I remember pines on big rocks over the sea and its chilly water.
Over the years I have swam in different lakes, lagoons, rivers and ponds and in addition to the Baltic Sea in Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian, Pacific and the Southern Ocean. Even though I spent the whole childhood inland I have always loved the sea. Nowadays I have realised that there’s actually something similar in a view of the sea than the surroundings in Pohjanmaa where I’m originally from. Pohjanmaa is known for its flat landscape, fields and barns, and when I look at the sea the view is somewhat the same, smooth and even, and you can see as far as your eyes are able to.
Couple of years ago we went for a RTW trip and I’ve called it some kind of a turning point afterwards. Not only because we had the baby news there but also after the trip I’ve been more aware of what I want from my life and step by step I seem to get closer to it. One of those things is to live by the sea. It wasn’t the thing I really thought about when we were searching for a new home but when I first came to the area I fell in love with its “vacay-feeling”. The sea is so beautiful in every season and in every weather, rough or calm.
I’ve recently been thinking what it is, that I love to do on beach holidays. I have figured out that the most of those things I can do at home if I want to. So this summer I have attended to a kayaking course, I have bought a SUP board of my own, I’ve gone to swimming and boating. I’ve started my mornings doing yoga on the beach and I’ve done tens of sand castles with my daughter. Ok, maybe the water is not as clear or warm than in many places, but hey versatile it certainly is! Next winter I’ll attend ice swimming group and go skating and skiing on the sea too. I have realised that my life doesn’t have to have it all, but the key is making the most of what I do have. At least I don’t have to miss the sea anymore.
“Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly.”
