friday thoughts and pictures

TGIF - and not the restaurant chain which I find to be rather crap, but for one occasion in Orlando, which is irrelevant for this post but I do like wee detours... - as the past week certainly has been an emotional rollercoaster of the not good kind. People at 'new place' are friendly, helpful and overall good and fun sports.

But the lack of a decent chair and table for my work has left me with aching back, sore neck, the long time ago mouse-arm acting up thus generally feeling crap. (There's just that much one can help self with stretching and relaxation.)

To that add the tasks (that in part I can see as a good way to get to know the organisation and the way it works) which are in the long run such a waste of talents, education as well as the real me. These weeks left me quite disheartened actually.

And the constant reminder from different know-it-alls (who clearly don't) sources (that unfortunately one may depend on at times) that the the only acceptable thing to strive for is working full time 9-5 in office. If there's one lesson learnt these past years it is that I don't tick like that.

And to have educations, qualifications, interests, passions and dreams that suggest something else should be possible but still be 'forced to' - the details regarding this situation I won't go into - be grateful and pleased, well that makes me miserable and feels, again, soulcrushing.

Then I recieved an email this morning from a friend that really lifted my spirits. I think it was such a great and sweet message well worth sharing (I hope he won't mind) -

Personally I think you're fully in the right to grumble about the concepts of 9-5 office life as the acceptable norm. I've never believed in convention if it only brings a person misery, and you're far too bright a light to be dimmed within such confines. You may be too refined to do this but please feel free to give a big middle finger to anything that stifles you, your creative freedom, or your happiness.

I read that, felt better - and a little teary - wrote an email about the aches to the one job-concerned before I left for work. At work I went head on and talked to the 'boss-lady' about my feelings (lack of creativity and intellectual challenges while mentioning some ideas) but at the same time praising the overall sweet ambiance and helpfulness of people. I also mentioned the chair/table problem.

I was reasonably surprised how well she reacted, immediately gave the go ahead to order a new office chair for just me (which of course will take some time to get) and really being very positive about the suggestions of tasks I mentioned (she said that oh yes they really needed help with just the things I'd love to do but they just hadn't thought of this, to me but not to them obvious, possibility). They'll have an office meeting on Monday when this will be discussed. And even with the nagging aches the rest of the day felt more than alright.

I will now try and take good care of the aching Pia bits during weekend and hope Monday will bring great and positive things.

Friday ended with a nice wintry walk in neighbourhood and thinking how truly lucky I am to be able to spend life in such a place with the best of both closeness to city life as well as countryside (well, if not counting the very opposite to pleased feelings when discovering that even more of our precious rural recreational green areas and woods have been turned into big eye sore modern residential areas).

Here are some of the prettier parts - on a perfect weather winter day that offered perfect temperatures somewhere around 0 degrees C, lots of sun and spring feeling in the air as well as heaps of snow. And the days are quickly getting longer and brighter - of my neighbourhood, my Sweden this past afternoon.

one house I do lust after,

I admit without shame

almost 4 pm and still this light!

spring on it's way!

would love to live at the other side of the road and railway tracks,

where it's fullblown genuine countrystyle life in the suburb

and far far from densely populated

a bit of well-deserved 'fredagsmys'

(friday well-being)

at one of our nice local waterholes

Happy weekend for well deserving beings!