June feels like a very short month, despite it being slightly longer than February. Maybe because there is so much buzz and the workload is heavier right before the holidays. As a member of staff at a University in Finland, I have an enviously long vacation period. I would not change this priviledge for a better paid job. But it almost feels embarrassing to be able to be on paid vacation for six weeks in a row, compared to countries with a completely different policy on vacations.
Right now, in the Scandinavian countries we are celebrating Midsummer which means that everything gets extremely quiet if you happen to be in an city. Most Finns flee to their summer cottages if they have one, go to music festivals and spend this precious weekend with friends and families. Right now writing this Substack post it is as if I am the only person in Turku, the city where I live. Me, Zorro the cat and then the birds on the rooftop of the building opposite mine.
The sky is blue, barely no traffic and no sound apart from the seagulls. Not a single soul anywhere. The house is as quiet as on Christmas Eve. Very soothing.
So June, what about the month of June? On my collage you can read the sentence “4 kesäunelmaa” which is Finnish and translates into “4 summer dreams”.
I have a habit of watching my monthly collages to take in the vibe. Sometimes I just enjoy the setting of it, sometimes the collage actually have a deeper meaning. This time I started to dwell a bit on June and if I really could say that I had fullfilled four summer dreams.
It has been a very busy month so far, with a lot of engagements, events, dinners and work. A flow month in the sense that I have not done much private planning and have rather let myself be drawn into stuff. Saying yes to invitations etc. My four summer dreams as in ‘I did not dream or plan them (except for one dream) but they were very nice anyhow’:
Two really exciting art exhibitions with one extra nice suprise.
A lovely visit to an adorable summer house from the 19th century renovated into a true gem. The house a dream in itself as well as the garden.
Spending Midsummer´s Eve together with close friends.
Going for a yoga retreat in Hapsal, Estonia with the same above mentioned friends. Something we have been planning for a long time. Depending on how severly you judge the meaning of dream - this definitely fits into that cathegory.
Lastly, every time since 2006, I have been journaling in my special summer edition journal with the very befitting citation by Jane Austen “ if adventures do not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek the them abroad”
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Did Jane really live by her own advice? Maybe not, but she wrote about other young ladies who indeed left their own villages to seek adventure, if not abroad. I´m not a young lady anymore but travelling is the elixir of life. My last visit abroad for a longer period which was not work related (and no, going to Sweden does not count) was in 2012 when Maria and I went to the U.S.
Which reminds me that part three of Thelma and Louise is still unwritten. One of my readers (aka my daughter) told me that I left the reader hanging in part two. I´ll get back to that later.
If you wonder what on earth she is talking about, you can read part one here:
And part two here:
Now, it´s time to enjoy the summer if you are lucky to be in this part of the world where it´s not too hot, not too cold. And where the warm summer breeze is caressing your face and filling your heart with hope and more dreams.