Look at this photo. Doesn't this look nice? It's all even, the same, calm and orderly. There is something very comforting with order and framed pictures. Maybe it's the form, the subtleness and overall aesthetic that just breathes peace. But, is it alive?
Once can look at the ocean similarly. A totally flat ocean can give an impression of calmness and peace, but who knows what is lurking underneath? Or is it even the calm before the storm? It's the gentle rolling of waves, that brings life.
It's between these contrast, I stand. I love living in an orderly fashion, with a balanced display of carefully chosen items that has meaning to me. That match, that has a beautiful rounded shape or clean corners. It provides me with a peaceful foundation that I find beautiful and easy to create in Sweden, but seldom shared.
I used to be more concerned with keeping my home (and office) like that, but when I moved to Hawaii more than a decade ago, it was also to break away from that stillness. To surround me with more people, to bring life into being by natural interactions, which is one of the reasons why I always live at hostels, when I travel (and when I didn't have an apartment). There is always a good mix of people and you can cook your own food, in a safe environment built on sharing. It's also a lot more affordable than living in any fancy hotel rooms.
So, how do I now best join these sides together, with a little of each but not neither? Or, isn't this also why I need to move to the United States with its more vibrant, and more integrated diverse culture?
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