The bigger picture

I was up early on this morning. Well before the sun made it over the hill on the other side of the lake. A sun dog was already visible, and it was so beautiful. It felt like a true December morning. The sky was completely clear. The trees outside my house were covered entirely in hoar frost, and the exhaust from the vents of all the homes was vibrant orange, catching the sunlight.

I had my toasted bagel as I almost always do, along with a sweet persimmon, but I took my coffee in my thermos for later. It has never been about the caffeine for me, purely just the mood and the enjoyment.

Imagination or not, my first steps through the forest smelled of winter in Sweden. It was, by all means, completely improbable, but it was exactly so. I stopped dead in my tracks and didn’t move for minutes. I just could not mistake that, it was certain. I had not been in the north of Sweden since 13 years, but in a heartbeat I felt like I was right in the forests of Jukkasjärvi again. And I really needed that. In just a perfect synchronicity, today was the most fitting day of all for that. I took a photo, made a quiet promise to never forget it, and kept walking.

Of course it is the best way to finish the day in the cold, around -27°C. A hot coffee and the last of the sunlight.