I listened to an interview with the Swedish DJ and music producer Christian “Bloodshy” Karlsson, who’s worked with artists like Britney Spears, Madonna, and Katy Perry.

I had never heard of him, to be honest, but he seemed like a very humble, down-to-earth, and nice guy.

When the interviewer said that his favorite Britney track was Unusual You, Christian told him the story behind the song. Halfway through, he paused and said, “How do I say this so it doesn’t come out the wrong way?”

He went on to explain that the person who wrote the song was very overweight and had a rather particular look, and that he thought she’d probably had quite a challenging life. But to Christian and his partner, Pontus, she was nothing other than a great songwriter to work with.

Later on, she explained that she had written the song to them, because of how they treated her. She felt seen and respected in a way she’d never experienced until then.

To her, they were the unusual you.

I visited Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) this morning. It’s an incredibly beautiful place, famous for its architecture and design, and included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

I was five minutes early for the first client, so I decided to make a stop along the way. Snapped a couple of photos, and then I just stood there…

It’s a vast landscape, and that vastness gets reflected within you. It’s like that usually so chattery mind turns into a spacious landscape too. So quiet and peaceful.

Snap back to reality. But it’s not the same reality.

That precious little pause lingers.

Something has shifted within. Or rather, some thing has shifted. A little less clutter, a lot more space.

A minute or two makes all the difference.

I’m sitting at a café in my neighborhood. A song came on that I think is one of the most beautiful songs ever written. “Jag ger dig min morgon” by Fred Åkerström, which is a cover of Tom Paxton’s song “I Give You the Morning”.

The original is fantastic too, it’s just that it resonates even more when it’s sung in my native language. But there are some nuances to it as well, like the Swedish translation being my morning instead of the morning.

It emphasizes the beauty of giving someone your time and attention. Truly being there, present and attentive. Listening instead of only hearing, seeing and not just looking.

It’s the most precious gift we can give to someone. They say that time is money, and looking at the stressed customers rushing away with a coffee-to-go, it sure looks like many people believe that to be true.

But no money in the world can replace the love and kindness of offering our total presence to someone. Even more so these days, with people’s attention often lost in the past or the future (usually the latter). You see it in their eyes, you hear it in their voice. They’re not really there, they’re already planning the next move.

On the other hand, it’s also very clear how grateful people are when you’re truly there for them. Not as a stop along the way, not like a means to an end. Simply being there.

Every year in November, the Swedish Trade Research Institute announces “årets julklapp” (the Christmas gift of the year). I’m still waiting for them to say:

“This year, the Christmas gift of the year is your time.”

A close friend of mine works in pest control. During one of the jobs today, she was attacked by a swarm of wasps. Despite her full safety gear, they managed to sting her many times.

It was quite a shocking experience, lying in the corner of a cramped attic without a way to escape. Luckily, it all turned out okay in the end. She got out, got medicine, and called the office to tell them to reschedule the other jobs...

When she called and told me what had happened and how she handled it, I let her know how impressed I was. I can only imagine what a wreck I would’ve been after such an incident.

Then we got to talking about how it would’ve gone only a year ago. Just like me, she has a history of being diagnosed with anxiety and was on sick leave for several months.

If today’s event had occurred around that time, it would’ve been a total disaster. This time she handled it by the book. I got happy tears in my eyes when we talked, and I get them now when writing this.

We all go through hard times in life, and somehow we manage to move on. We learn, we grow stronger, we get better at handling whatever life throws at us the next time.

Looking back at where we were just a year or two ago, realizing how much we’ve developed, is a great reminder when we start doubting ourselves. It brings enough comfort and confidence to even allow ourselves to shed some happy tears in public.

I finally managed to drag myself to the gym today.

I got sick a couple of months ago. After that, like so often, I had a hard time getting back into it again. Even though it’s just a two-minute walk to the gym, I always had an excuse for skipping it. So stupid.

I love lifting weights. It’s always been my favorite kind of exercise. I know this, and yet it’s so easy to lose track and deceive yourself when life gets in the way.

The biggest motivation to get going again was not about health benefits or physique. It was about creativity. Exercise in any form makes all the difference.

It’s like moving your body awakens that inner source of creative energy. When you think about it, creativity is movement in one way or another. Stillness can ignite inspiration in a beautiful way, but motion is needed for manifestation.

It doesn’t need to be some exhausting exercise. The simplest of movements can work like magic. Strolling through a field instead of scrolling through a feed, that’s an open invitation to creation.