Heading South to Catch Our Breath

After living in Finland for a while, you start to understand just how much sunlight and brightness shape a person. Winter is long, and both body and mood slowly tighten without you fully noticing. Going south at that point is not only a trip. It feels like taking a different breath. Before you have even fully arrived, something in you has already started to let go.

I have always thought this story works like a pause for air. Yes, it is about leaving the north’s cold and dark behind. But more than that, it is about seeing light again and allowing yourself to open up a little. Often you only realize how long you’ve been bracing once you are already on the road.