We arrived back in Copenhagen last night, where we were welcomed with a glass of Happy Hour wine. All hotels should be thus. Peter found a cool ping pong room for a pre dinner warm up. Despite that I cannot seem to sleep a full night no matter where I am in the world, this is a lovely spot to lay one’s head.
Peter’s friends Olle and Luisa were warm hosts during our visit to Malmö, Sweden, these past few days.
While they fed us tasty food and cocktails, warm soup and hot coffee, we couldn’t help but notice all the ways that Peter has been present in their lives, from afar, over the years.
I know he felt cherished to see his artistry on their walls.
We arrived in Sweden on Thursday. For L and me, it’s our first time. Peter has been many times and Olivia, at least a few.
Today we asked for early observations from L. “What’s different in Malmö?”.
Here’s what she said: People bike a lot. Without helmets. Even Peter did, though she did not see this. I saw it because I did too.
No one lives in a “house”! And none of the apartment buildings are green, blue or purple (from the outside). Many of the streets are cobblestone. Lots of people are willing to speak English to us.
And the playgrounds are way better.
And a few from me: The Swedes are more innovative with potatoes. They call these tornados! Airport food is much more artfully displayed in Scandinavia (at CPH).
Peter’s Swedish friends will move mountains to support his (our) creative pursuits. Here we’re binding little books to put into the “This Box is for Good” edition that we’ll design and print this week in The Netherlands.
Old Swedish couches are way cooler than old Canadian couches. This one belongs to Peter’s friend Luisa in her studio at Blå Huset. And Swedish dogs can speak using buttons. Well, at least these cute little ones can.
My workout coach Matt said the other day that “any kind of fitness is better than no fitness”. In this spirit, perhaps any kind of writing is better than no writing at all?
I want to better remember a myriad of things that pique my attention and then are forgotten. Like this:
Peter sent it to me pointing out that he and I are very used to narrow focus (coaching, web development, managing households etc.). As we attempt to widen our focus, he wondered if we need to embrace “intentional unintention!”?
Perhaps. But how do we do this after a lifetime of defining ourselves by our quests?
