Etikett: healing

Morning Dip and Everyday Joy – Today and Yesterday

Morning dip and everyday joy became the start of my day. It began in the sofa with a post that disappeared, but instead of irritation I chose gratitude and lessons learned. The swim today filled me with energy, the thoughts of my grandchildren opened both sorrow and gratitude, and the bedroom now waits to be cleaned until it smells of soap. Yesterday was a day of household chores, pride, and pain – but also joy in the little things.

morning dip and everyday joy at the lake on an autumn morning

Läs det här på Svenska->Morgondopp och vardagsglädje


Today – a Morning in the Sofa

The morning began in the sofa, with coffee beside me and the computer on my lap. I wrote an entire post – hours passed – and then everything vanished. At first I wanted to curse, blame the computer, mutter a bad word. But instead I paused and told myself: “Now you need to be a responsible adult.”

That shifted my thoughts. I realized I hadn’t saved properly and that I need to be better at always checking before shutting down. And perhaps I need to accept that words often come when I bathe, not right when I wake up. A morning lesson in patience, simply put.


Today – Morning Dip and Everyday Joy

This morning I went for a dip. My bathing sisters swam, but I floated still, letting the water carry me. I watched the trees, the sky, and all the beauty right there in that moment.

The feeling was powerful. My soul filled with light, my body with energy. Gratitude settled in: “I give myself these mornings where I wake together with nature.”

Two squirrels chased each other in the trees – lively little reminders of everyday joy. Before the swim, I even managed to record a short video for TikTok. In that video, an important insight landed: A good day is one you create yourself. I am the scriptwriter of my life. My thoughts give birth to feelings, and those feelings create the day.


Today – Thoughts of My Grandchildren

After the swim came thoughts of my grandchildren, the ones I no longer get to meet. There lives sorrow, and it hurts. But I told myself I needed to change the tone of those thoughts.

Instead, I chose to feel gratitude for the time we actually had together. Me and my son. Me and my grandchildren. All those days that were ours before he chose to shut me out as both mother and grandmother.

I carry so many beautiful memories. Memories of caring for Hugo when he was sick, holding his little hand, sitting and reading with him. Memories of Emilia, my princess – always wise, always close, a wonderful friend in a small body. And my son – whom I am so proud of. His wisdom, his words, his thoughts, shared so generously through the years.

The time that is now I cannot change. It is what it is. But I have the memories. And they fill my heart with gratitude for the time that was. This is my work: to choose gratitude for what was, and let that gratitude fill my time now.


Today – the Bedroom Waiting for Soap and Order

After the swim and those thoughts, the desire for the next project grew. Today, our bedroom will be made fresh with the scent of soap. The walls will be wiped down, the paintings dusted both front and back, perfume bottles polished, flowers refreshed. Every detail tended to, until the room feels truly clean.

I can already sense it: the lightness in my body, the bubbling joy and the deep gratitude when everything is done. Walking into a room that smells of soap is like giving myself a new beginning.


Yesterday – Everyday and KonMari

Yesterday was different. The day filled with chores. I went down to the laundry room, folded clothes and ironed what needed it. With the KonMari method, every piece of clothing has its place. It’s almost silly how happy I feel opening a wardrobe and seeing that order.


Yesterday – Pride at the School Meeting

In the afternoon, it was time for my little boy’s school meeting. I told him: “This is probably the best meeting I have ever been to.”

He hasn’t even been in school for a full year, but he has already succeeded so well in all subjects. When he asked why, the answer was simple: “You, of course. You’re the one making this work.”


Yesterday – When the Body Said Stop

After the meeting, I stopped to shop, still happy from the day. But when I placed the milk into the basket – bang! My neck gave way. The pain returned, almost like the nerve pain I sometimes feel in my legs.

At home, I cooked: fish sticks, rice with curry and salt, and my cold sauce with yogurt, mayonnaise, pickled relish, and spices. My little boy ate with joy – that always warms my heart. Myself, I finally had to give in. The neck had the last word yesterday.


Reflection

Perhaps this is what life is – a mix of swimming in the lake, the scent of soap, the pride of a child, and the pain of a neck. Everything fits into a single day, and everything is allowed to be as it is.


AHA – Between the Lines

Between the lines, the choice becomes clear. I choose not to remain in irritation or sorrow, but to see lessons, everyday joy, and gratitude. It is in the small choices, in the moments, that life truly shifts.


Your Voice: Between the Lines

I am a person who carries both joy and pain. I care for my home, my family, and myself, even when my body says stop. It’s not only the cleaning or the swim that matter – it’s the feeling that I choose to live my life, every day, in my own way. That is healing, and there gratitude is born.


A Thought on Gratitude

I often sit and wonder what to cook today. And right there, my thoughts make a somersault – because in that question lives gratitude. I get to think about what to cook, not if I can cook anything at all. There are parents wondering whether they can even serve food today. I have the privilege of choosing. And there, gratitude lives in abundance.


Closing Words

Yesterday no longer exists except in memories, tomorrow is something we may experience, but right now – in this very moment – is the only place life can be lived. It is in the now that memories can be created.
Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Morgondopp i sol och rykande sjö

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Kay Pollak choosing happiness – morning gratitude and reflection.

Kay Pollak – Choosing Happiness and the Morning Gift of Gratitude

Every morning is a chance to begin again. In the quiet moment with coffee and silence, the thought of choosing happiness grows – a lesson from Kay Pollak that carries me through both everyday joys and the sorrow of what never became.

Read this post in Swedish ->Kay Pollak välja lycka – morgonens tacksamhet och livets lärdomar.

I keep writing about Kay Pollak because the subject isn’t finished within me.
His message is essential: Kay Pollak choosing happiness is my daily choice.
His words – that we can choose our attitude – stay with me and awaken new thoughts.
Each morning I feel deep gratitude for one more day, or at least one more morning.
It is truly the morning I value most.

When the house is still, whether at home or in the motorhome, there’s a silence that belongs only to me. Fresh coffee in my cup, the laptop on my lap, fingers dancing across the keyboard like music. Thoughts wander back and forth until the words must come. Again and again I land in gratitude that today is the first day of the rest of my life.


The First Day of the Rest of My Life

I invite you to think the same thought.
This very moment is a unique now – a brand-new day in the rest of your life.
Do you feel how the moment expands when you see it this way?

At work I often shared this idea with young people. We imagined that every day could be the first day of the rest of their lives. At first, they didn’t know what could make a day special. Then I served the next thought on a silver platter:

Simply waking up today makes this day special.


Kay Pollak Choosing Happiness – My Daily Choice

We also talked about our own responsibility for feelings – that we can actually choose to feel happiness, even though we often choose to feel unhappiness in different forms. It wasn’t everyone’s favorite subject, but a few embraced it.

When you begin to see that you can truly be master – or mistress – of your thoughts, and dare to ask can I choose happiness now, it may not be easy. But sometimes you succeed in changing the thought and actually choosing happiness.

Imagine you are tired and something happens. You might think this only happens because I’m tired or this always happens to me. But turn the thought: Oh, this happened – interesting, what can I learn from it? How would someone else react in this moment? Or even better: If I were to choose happiness right now, how would I act?


People as Teachers

I often told the youth I met that every person crossing my path is sent to teach me something.
Some laughed and asked what they could possibly teach me – do you want to become a criminal or what? I smiled and said that I am practicing being completely true to myself. That is something I hope they too will dare to do one day.

Many of them lived behind masks created to survive. I wanted to show that life is more than survival. We owe it to life itself to live.
This may not have been part of my formal job description, but it felt essential.

I am not someone who follows rules just for the sake of rules. Yet I respect the agreements we make as colleagues. What mattered to me was that these young people met an adult who showed her true self – and believed that they, too, were enough as they are.


Daring to Live the Words

 Kay Pollak choosing happiness

There is so much power in the words Kay Pollak shares.
They become truly great only when we dare to live them.

Life grows simpler when we put ourselves where we truly belong – when we dare to be honest, clear, and to set our own boundaries.

Sometimes we must choose to step away, to stand firm, to be exactly who we are.
For me, Kay Pollak choosing happiness is a daily reminder that life can always start anew.

Even blogging itself is, for me, an act of choosing happiness – just as Kay Pollak encourages.


Sorrow and Being Rejected

The sorrow and the situation with my son – the feeling of being rejected – live in my everyday life.
It is a deep pain, and I grieve that it is this way.
Yet here is an important but: I cannot stop living because I hurt. I cannot stop loving. I must move forward and dare to choose happiness, despite everything.

For me, this is a life lesson: I must not merely survive — I must live, experience, and dare to feel joy even when something in life is painful. Other people need to see me smile. I have many reasons to keep seeking and experiencing happiness. I owe myself that.

Of course, it is difficult to choose happiness now when sorrow is at its strongest. Yet I keep asking myself: can I choose happiness now?
Perhaps the question itself opens something new. Perhaps there is something here I need to learn about trust, courage, and self-love.
I believe sorrow itself carries a teaching – about setting boundaries, protecting what is good, and giving space to both pain and hope.

The sorrow may remain, but it must not become everything. I am responsible for continuing to seek the moments of happiness that make life alive.


Reflection

Looking back, I see how deeply Kay Pollak’s thoughts have shaped my everyday life.
His words about choosing happiness are not just beautiful phrases – they are a way of living.
Every morning is a new chance to begin again, a chance to consciously choose direction.


Between the Lines – My Words

The past cannot be relived – it has already passed and we cannot change it.
I live with that insight every day, in every post. It is a lesson I carry from Kay Pollak:

Kunghamn Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Live today, right now. Yesterday no longer exists. Right now we sow the seeds that we may harvest in the future. – Carina Ikonen Nilsson

It is here, in this very now, that we choose our path and plant what can one day bloom.


AHA – Between the Lines

This is more than a text about gratitude.
It is a lived approach – to meet each day without clinging to yesterday’s failures or worries.
To see every person as an opportunity for growth.
And to discover that the courage to be true is the very ground of joy.


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Also read: Kay Pollak – Choosing Happiness, when his words move into me.

Learn more about Kay Pollak and his books on Kay Pollak’s official site.


FAQ – Questions I’m Often Asked About Kay Pollak and Choosing Happiness

What does “choosing happiness” really mean?
For me it doesn’t mean being happy all the time. It’s an attitude – consciously choosing thoughts and actions that open a path to joy, even in hard times.

How can someone begin to live more in the present?
I start with morning stillness. A few minutes with coffee and silence become a daily reminder that today is the first day of the rest of your life.

How does sorrow affect this choice?
The sorrow of rejection never disappears, but it doesn’t have to fill all space. I see it as a teacher reminding me to keep living and loving – not just surviving.

Can we really choose our feelings?
We can’t control every feeling, but we can choose which perspective we feed. That is where freedom and power lie.


When You’re Cut Off as a Grandmother – A Quiet Grief That Stays

Read this post in Swedish

Preface
This post is about the late summer slowly approaching, about motorhome life, and about carrying both joy and longing at the same time.
It’s about missing grandchildren, about living with distance in the family – and about love that remains even when paths separate.


When Summer Begins to Fade

Here I am again, in our motorhome. I write as I usually do, but the feeling is different now.
It’s no longer the sparkling energy of spring. Summer is beginning to retreat, even if I don’t want to admit it.
The truth is: we are closer to autumn than to the full bloom of summer.

Autumn can be beautiful in its own way, but I miss those warm evenings that invite quiet joy.
Still, summer is not over yet. There are days left to live, and I remind myself not to give up on them too soon.


An Unexpected Visit and a Quiet Thought

We will stay here at the campsite for another day.
Today I learned that my husband’s brother will visit – a little surprise. It will be nice to meet him.

Yet, other thoughts swirl quietly in the background.

On Instagram, I saw photos of my grandchildren, happy and full of life.
I smiled seeing them laugh, yet my heart felt a small ache.
These are the moments I long to share – but for now, I am a grandmother at a distance.

Sometimes it feels as if the world keeps moving without me.
Life doesn’t always turn out as we wish, but the longing is still there.
Hugo has grown taller, Emilia looks ready to conquer the world, and Alfred I sometimes get to hold close when life allows it.

What carries me is love – it remains, even when I must love from afar.


A Mother’s Love Never Ends

There is nothing I can do to change the situation right now.
All I can do is keep wishing them happiness.

My greatest hope is not for life to go back to the way it was, but for everyone to be well.
I hope my son has a life where he can breathe, laugh, and feel that he chose what was best for him and his children.

I am his mother, and I love him more than words can hold.
That love remains, no matter the distance.


Between the Lines – My Voice

Between the lines, I want to say this:

I am a mother and grandmother carrying both pain and love in the same breath.
I do not shy away from what hurts, but I do not write out of bitterness.
I write to understand, to remain standing, and to keep loving.

And perhaps I also write for you who recognize yourself in these words.
We are more than one carrying this quiet sorrow.
We carry it together – even if we carry it apart.


Reflection

Sometimes, life is about daring to stand in love, even when it is not returned.
I cannot control other people’s choices, but I can choose to keep loving my grandchildren – quietly, from the heart, at a distance.
And maybe, that is enough until the day our paths meet again.

Grief follows no rules. There is no manual for how to handle being cut off .
But it is possible to keep loving, even when the relationship is broken.
To stand in love, even when you get nothing in return.
It’s possible to love – even when love becomes a one-way street.

”Yesterday has already laid itself to rest in history. Tomorrow waits ahead. But right now – this is where life is happening.”
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson

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