Hello.
I just read the most influential blog post, I've probably ever read. It was written by a 24-year old Finnish student called Heidi, who writes Converting Vegetarians blog. The blog post was a recap of her year 2013. It was very summarised, but I feel like it was more eventful than any of the fantasy books I've ever read. And she probably had managed to do more in one month than I have in my whole life.
Last year she was living in China, where she was learning Chinese, exploring her faith and worldview and growing as a spiritual person. She hiked a lot and explored forgotten and beautiful places. She travelled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. She explored temples, tiny North Chinese villages, forests and slums. She slept in yurts, shelters she built herself, underneath holy trees and at the top of a Chinese holy mountain. and She questioned everything. She learnt a lot. She was homeless in Peking and nearly ended up in a Kazakhstanian prison.
I just read the most influential blog post, I've probably ever read. It was written by a 24-year old Finnish student called Heidi, who writes Converting Vegetarians blog. The blog post was a recap of her year 2013. It was very summarised, but I feel like it was more eventful than any of the fantasy books I've ever read. And she probably had managed to do more in one month than I have in my whole life.
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| © Heidi. |
Last year she was living in China, where she was learning Chinese, exploring her faith and worldview and growing as a spiritual person. She hiked a lot and explored forgotten and beautiful places. She travelled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Xinjiang, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. She explored temples, tiny North Chinese villages, forests and slums. She slept in yurts, shelters she built herself, underneath holy trees and at the top of a Chinese holy mountain. and She questioned everything. She learnt a lot. She was homeless in Peking and nearly ended up in a Kazakhstanian prison.
In autumn she returned to Finland, where she had to learn to live a completely different lifestyle. During her year in China she had changed a lot, and Finland was very different compared to all those exotic places she's been to.
Her blog is the most inspiring thing I've discovered this year. She's a proper adventurer and she's really going out of her way to find out what life is really about.
She's writing a book and I'm very keen on reading it when it gets published.
My year 2013 feels very pathetic now. No, actually, my life feels fairly pathetic now.
I know, I've been ill, but maybe I should try a little bit harder? Maybe I should go for more walks in the middle of the night and smell the fresh air? Maybe I should use computer less and do exercises instead. Maybe I should start yoga and learn to meditate.
I want to go travelling again. I had no idea some of the places she went to even existed. And now I'm really scared that I might never get to see them. What if my life just passes by and I never manage to learn what life is really about?
I've never been on a proper hiking and camping trip. I've never walked somewhere you wouldn't get in one day. I'm a scared little city kid who doesn't even know how to do that. Would someone brave like to come with me?
I know, I've already been to a lot of places most people will never go to and lived occasionally in places with no mobile signal or internet. But maybe I should try and do things like that more often?
Maybe I should really put some effort into learning languages and really try and get somewhere with all of my plans. Maybe I should try and speak Japanese person staying with us.
I love adventures. But at the same time I'm really worried that I will soon be too old to go on adventures. Not that you can be too old, but you can think that you're too old. Heidi is my age, which means that I could have done all that, but instead I've enjoyed sitting at my sofa watching travel documentaries. I don't want get too used to this. I could be out there making hose documentaries.
Do you know what it feels like to be alive?
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| I can't just stop now. |
I love adventures. But at the same time I'm really worried that I will soon be too old to go on adventures. Not that you can be too old, but you can think that you're too old. Heidi is my age, which means that I could have done all that, but instead I've enjoyed sitting at my sofa watching travel documentaries. I don't want get too used to this. I could be out there making hose documentaries.
Do you know what it feels like to be alive?
Minä olen varmaan tylsä ja liian turvallisuudenhaluinen ihminen, mutta olen todennut, että liian seikkailulliset matkat eivät ole minua varten. Olen kerran ollut reissulla, jossa emme varanneet hotelleja etukäteen, vaan katsoimme joka päivä, minne päädymme. Se oli kamalan stressaavaa. Vapaus oli kyllä kivaa, mutta ei se, että välillä saimme etsiä hotellia tuntikausia. Olen myös ollut asunnottomana, joten arvostan nykyään tosi paljon sitä, että tiedän, että on koti, jonne mennä yöksi.
ReplyDeleteHaluan kyllä nähdä maailmaa, mutta en ehkä ihan noin seikkailullisella tavalla. Olen myös kiinnostunut henkisestä kasvusta, mutta se on mahdollista vaikka kotisohvalta käsin. Koen, että minulla on pääni sisällä vähintään yhtä jännittävä maailma kuin sen ulkopuolella.
Tässä kommentoi juurikin se sama Heidi, jota tämä postaus koskee!
DeleteOlen kanssasi aivan täsmälleen samaa mieltä. Seikkailu ei ole mikään paikka se - on mielentila. Maailmalla viipottaminen ja kaikki siihen liittyvä tekeminen on loppupeleissä pelkkää rekvisiittaa - oleellisuuden ytimen voi löytää vain itsestään. Ja se itse voi lokalisoitua yhtälailla kotisohvalla kuin maailmanäärissäkin. n__n
Tämä on kyllä ihan totta! En minäkään mitään ihan noin hullua varmasti lähtisi tekemään, vaikka vähän tässä kateudesta vihreänä mieli tekisi. Eniten vain tässä huolestuttaa, että menee mahtavat kokemukset ihan sivusuun, jos jämähdänkin paikalleni enkä edes lähde tutkimaan kiinnostavia maailman kolkkia.
DeleteMulla kyllä vain on niin ihanan vapaa olo silloin kun seison jossain asemalla keskellä yötä pohtimassa että mihin sitä seuraavaksi suuntaisi. Tai se hetki kun putkahtaa aamukuudelta ulos bussista ihan uudessa kaupungissa. Silloin koen olevani elossa. Kotisohvalla koen vaan olevani jossain huuruissa koko ajan. Ja välillä on hyvä koittaa saada sitä huurua vähän hälvenemään. Ehkä joidenkin on vain helpompi löytää se olellisuuden ydin? Minä ehkä tarvitsen aika paljon rekvisiittaa siihen.
Kivanolonen blogi ja kiva kun jotkut kirjottaa englanniksikin! Kiva oli lukea tätä :) Ja kuvat ja ulkoasukin on tosi kivat.
ReplyDeleteKiitos paljon, ihana kuulla! :)
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