10:30am, thursday 16th: it’s about 35˚F / 2˚C, overcast, drizzling, & snowing. Holding the iphone, gloveless, that guides me to my last subway station ride of this scandinavian adventure, i choose to let my hands freeze numb. On the extreme side, i know they won’t be frost bitten since it’s not snowing or hailing out, but i look to the sky gazing at the weather everyone in scandinavia hates and i think to myself how i want to experience the terrible weather one last time before i go. the more numb my hands get, the more alive i feel trying to keep them warm with my mind. Maybe it’s me trying to prove people wrong, but the weather just does not bother me much at all.
in a land tainted with ‘depressing’ weather almost year round, coupled with it’s ‘cold’ people, i feel warm knowing i brought people together. i feel warm knowing i put smiles on people’s faces. i feel warm reminding people that their country is not so bad and adding a spontaneous twist to their day.
Take a look here:
Notice the few bikes left of center just sitting there? You will see bikes all over Copenhagen left unlocked. they place so much faith in each other, that people will do the right thing i guess. is bike thievery high here? Yes, yet they continue to leave it out anyway. this would NEVER happen in La. i kept thinking to myself every time i noticed these bikes, how are these bikes NOT getting stolen?!
the Ripple Effect
i was grabbing food with this local Danish girl from my hostel last night. Teacher, 29, septum piercing (randomly common in scandinavian countries for whatever reason, and an advocate for the new addidas style (where girls where addidas sweatpants to bars and clubs, and even sometimes shirts, coupled with sneakers or converse). she was telling me how people can be cold, but she was glad i reminded her about just even a little human connection is always appreciated, however weird it may be in the North. she told me that the other day she moved her bags on the bus for a man to sit on the seat (which seems normal for americans i hope, but maybe not so much in the North). she said the man sat down and eventually told her she was cute. she thought it was a bit odd for a second after she eventually got off the bus but then she said it made her feel good. Later in the afternoon, feeling good, she almost got in the way of a lady biking and she smiled at her and said oh sorry so clumsy of me, but this time with a smile she normally would not have given. the biker smiled back and said oh that’s okay don’t worry. then she thought about how one positive vibe continued to another, which in turn was another positive thought!
i’m not advocating for massive social change, but that social norms can be pushed and challenge, especially for the better, one person at a time.
also, surprisingly, other than losing way more of my savings than i thought i would spend, i only lost 1 toiletry bottle! unusual but great.
Fitness Tip
sTOp DRiNKiNG sODa pEOpLE!
it’s poison. stop giving it to your kids. Dare i say sugar is worse than fat? Even fruit juice, cakes, donuts, cookies, milk chocolate, candy, etc… i haven’t drank soda for at least 7 years unless it was paired with alcohol (i.e. rum & coke, or chaser), or there was absolutely no other caffeine alternative. sometimes i might have a diet coke with my popcorn in a theater (the kick of the carbonation is more the reason)
this isn’t a brag piece, this is a here’s why piece. When you drink or eat sugar in that vast of an amount your body get’s a HuGE energy spike and then a huge crash, for better or worse. However, when you use this form of energy day in and day out your body becomes dependent on this energy. i’ve seen coworkers of mine drinking a soda, then a jamba juice, then eating a birthday cake, and then finishing with a Carmel Frappuccino. but these foods only look appealing once you’re in this up and down energy cycle and your body starts to depend on it. so now after so many years of chosen near abstinence from soda & sugar, a can of cola looks disgusting. if i think about it more, my face makes a look of disgust just imagining the ultra sweetness.
i know it’s tough. i met a girl 2 nights ago who had lost more than 60lbs (in which she gave up most soda) and she said when she went cold turkey- she couldn’t get out of bed her body was craving it so much. if she can do it, if little old me can do it, then so can you!