My handball life

I have spent lots of free time training handball recently. And I have to say…I like it. The more we train, the more I want to play. It feels good to have coaches who acually undersand handball and players. And handball is bringing structure into my life. I have to leave work at certain time so I am not at work too long as I used to be, but I go to the training isntead, I do not waste my free time since I do not have a lot left. I feel stronger and in shape. I get to meet many people and to see many different relations. It´s very exciting to be part of this team.

After holiday thoughts

It´s been some time since I logged in here. I almost forgot my password =) But yeah – here I am back again =)

So where to start actually? My holidays in Portugal and Spain maybe? It was nice. Nice and warm and very different from the trips I have done recently. I spent some time with people who do not praise sobriety at all (to say it nice) and what is worse, I have spent some time with people who do not praise humanity very much either. It might sound like a bad trip but it was not. I had my father there and I just got to experience again that he is an amazing person. He is my father and friend and when I think back I am very thankful for a father I can look forward to when coming home, for a father I can do sports with even in these times, for a father who has shown me the world and let me do my own decisions, for a father who has prooved that one can be a child regardless of age and that one can actually step out of the current comfort for a better outcome in further future.

When it comes to the other passangers I have also learnt a lot from them. I have learnt to appreciate even more Active people who do not search problems in every little detail, who prefer having fun and have nice relations among each other. Who can face problems in a costructive way instead of standing and blaming others. Yeah Active folk – you really are great.

I have also understood again that Active is needed and that we have to reach out. There are so so many lost people who just follow a pattern not knowing why and losing themselves. There are so many people who have never heard about possibility not to drink if one does not feel for it. So many that have not experienced that it is OK to say no to alcohol. Believe me, you can make it much easier for several people around you by saying determined “no”. There is a new option for many of them all of sudden. Yes..a new “aha” moment – it is actually very fine to refuse. The world spins still around even after such a “crucial” moment.

So that was my trip to Spain and Portugal. Except of visiting wonderful places, swimming in the sea, jumping in the waves, walking in heats and swinging in the rhythm of flamenco, I have gotten new thoughts, new appreciations, new believes. Simply a great holiday!

Off I go!

Another “bye bye” evening is over. It´s just some hours since I said bye to the former board and to many of my friends in Summer camp, today I have gotten space to say bye to my collegues/volunteers. Since I came home from the Camp, I got to work, sleep a bit, go to handball trainings (the coaches were testing us to see how we´ve trained during the last month), I got to fix presents for the volunteers, to go to farewell dinner and a short movie presentation. The last day with the volunteers represents the whole year – busy and very various. Now I am sitting at home, still some postcards to write, visa invitation to finish and then just to pack and off I go.

Portugal, Spain, warmth, sea, ocean, my camera, no internet, simple food, very simple living conditions, my father, some books and that´s it. Not very much needed to make me happy =)

A bit nostalgic

Maybe weird but being in the Active office makes me cry. Happy tears. Seeing all the papers around, copy machines that we used to prepare the documents for the Congress, boxes, files with different receipts from the seminars, board meetings etc, they all represent the best what Active has – the members.

After camp thoughts

Back from the Camp and Congress/Summercamp 08. I have to say that I loved that week. One of the organizers said that they had luck. OK I can admit that if the weather was not as it was (sunny and warm), it would have changed a lot. People would be hidden somewhere, freezing and most probably also mutter and complain. So the weather might have been luck, but I also believe that if one give everything and does his/her best, luck will come as well. And the camp committee and all the people who were helping to run the whole event have done outstanding great job. So many volunteers who spent weeks and weeks by preparing and not getting a cent paid for that. I just hope that they understand that “you have done a great job” is not just a phrase. Our language is really not highly developed for cases like this. There is often no way to express greateness and strong emotions.  

It was amazing to meet the participants. I did not talk to everyone of course but all those I met and saw made me incredibly happy and I was proud of our organisation. So many people who think of each other. So many people who respect each other. So many people who can have fun together, talk about nonsense and make it the best moment of the week, or talk serious stuff and make one think.

It was great to have all those meetings I went through. To see the congress deciding, to discuss future of Active with the presidents of the two biggest member organisations, to see the former Active board cooperate and do their best to create good conditions for the next board, to make Helga from Iceland laugh to tears just by trying to pronouce her name (Sigurbjörg Helga Sigurgeyrsdottir), to hug people occasionally, to see my former collegues playing in a band and spreading smiles and good feelings, to go to the lake and experience stillness of the swedish nature with a friend who means so much to me, to gather actio people and see them in action (the best meeting of the meetings) I could go on and go on.

It feels a bit empty right now. At the same time, it´s like a reborn for me. New start, new motivation, new ideas and the feeling of doing it for all of you and for more events like this one make the emptyness bearable and part of the inspiration.