In Sweden, it is hard to predict when summer comes and whether it will be all sun or sun and rain. It has become an accepted reality that Swedish mid-summer week is unreliably fickle and many feel cheated to spend their holidays indoor. Nonetheless, this country is extremely beautiful this time of year when everything comes to life and its waters are filled with boats of all sizes lazily cruising the archipelago, or just moored in various small harbours.Despite the early pessimism over the unpredictable arrival of Swedish summer, it did come in full blast week after midsummer with 25 to 30 plus degree temperature, almost rubbing off the dominance of the sun in places South like Greece. The sun has a strong effect on people's humour and well-being and most of all, on one's capacity for love and affection. Somehow, in the cold winter days and night - our hearts find it difficult to respond to warmth and the need to share it with someone, or others. It is not that love disappears into darkness. The heart just seems more melancholic and proned to dark thoughts ( for others suicidal!).
I have many reasons to be happy before the after June with many happenings of the heart like the joy of awaiting a new grandchild, of being at a son's wedding in Santorini and witnessing an immeasurable surge of happiness in two people who celebrate a much -awaited union, and then becoming part of many events simultaneously occuring in my nearest geographic space. The Volvo Ocean Race Stockholm Stopover for one, was a sight to feast on.
However, even in the brightest of horizons can come some rainclouds and I don't mean meteorologically. The world - near and far, remains unsettled by military and economic conflicts aggravated by the deterioration of life's quality in poorer parts of the world. While I have personal reasons to be happy, I am not entirely detached from a world that is wrestling with hard issues of survival.#
