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Blog statistics and the rhythm of writing – reflection by the lake where thoughts and words flow freely.

Blog writing rhythm and statistics | Malix.se

Sometimes, blog statistics and the rhythm of writing aren’t about numbers at all — but about feeling.
This week, I’ve started to understand how my blog lives a life of its own — breathing, growing, moving on waves I no longer try to control.

Read this post in Swedish ->Bloggstatistik och skrivandets rytm – när orden blir till andning


Blog Statistics and the Rhythm of Writing – When the Blog Finds Its Own Voice

Something shifts when we dare to let go a little.
This week, I shared gently.
The PERMA model and the body-centered perspective in everyday life was posted once — and then allowed to rest.
But Dreams and Self-Reflection – When Life Becomes Learning got to travel a little further.

Perhaps because it reminded me of something essential:
When theory meets feeling, something real begins to happen.

And it did.


The Blog in Motion – and Google Comes Visiting

I can see now that the blog carries itself.
It moves — almost like a living being.
When I looked at my stats this week, I saw something that made me smile:
Google had found its way here — for real.

Over the past few weeks, 180 people have arrived through Google searches.
They searched for comfort, well-being, NPF, reflection — and somehow, they found me.

It feels almost unreal to think that my words find their own way out into the world.
That the blog has begun to speak with its own voice — and that Google has started to listen.

But it didn’t happen by chance.
It came through exploration, learning, patience — and a quiet curiosity about how things truly work.
In that process, I realized that knowledge doesn’t have to be hard or cold.
It can be soft, human, and alive.

Morning rhythm of writing – reflection and blog statistics at malix.se.

When Technology Meets Emotion

Sometimes it’s enough to simply float along — like when I swim in the lake.
The water moves gently around me, the sound of ripples merging with my breath.
And suddenly, everything becomes one — me, the water, and the moment.

It might sound strange to say this in a post about Google and statistics, but that’s how it feels:
The blog floats on the waves and basks in Google’s light.

It’s not the numbers that matter most — it’s the knowing that my words can be found.
That someone, somewhere, might search for exactly what I wrote in a quiet moment — and find it.


Blog Statistics and the Rhythm of Writing – Google on a Visit

This week’s stats looked much like before:
Daily views, readers from Sweden, the U.S., Ireland, and Australia.
But what matters to me isn’t the number — it’s the rhythm.

It lives.
It breathes.
And I’m beginning to understand how it all connects.

I learned that Google finds my blog through something called a sitemap — a map of everything I’ve written.
Each time I click “Publish”, a little signal is sent out:

“There’s something new to read here.”

It feels a bit magical.
Maybe that’s what I love most — that technology doesn’t have to be stiff or sterile.
It can be poetic.
It can breathe.


Blog Statistics and the Rhythm of Writing – Not Just Numbers

I’ve been blogging since 2009.
You’d think I’d know all of this by now — how Google finds posts, what a sitemap is, how analytics work.
But the truth is, I’ve spent more time writing than measuring.
More time telling stories than counting them.

And maybe that’s why I still love it — because even the numbers now feel alive, like proof that my words are moving out into the world.

Perhaps there are others who feel the same.
It takes time to understand how far our words travel, long after we’ve written them.

Maybe that’s why I still blog — because every time I think I’ve understood it all, something new appears to be learned — in writing, and in life.


FAQ – About Blogging and Endurance

How long does a blog usually last?
Most blogs live between 6 months and 2 years. Many start with inspiration, then fade when time or direction runs out.

How many bloggers keep writing after five years?
Only about 5%. Those who do often write from an inner need — not to chase followers or numbers.

What do long-term bloggers have in common?
They’ve found their rhythm. They write when something needs to be said, not when a schedule demands it.
They let their blog grow with their life.

Do you ever “finish” being a blogger?
Not really. Writing changes as life does. It’s the journey, not the destination, that keeps you going.

How long have you been blogging, Carina?
I started in 2009 — and sixteen years later, I’m still here.
That makes me proud.
Because with ADHD, where focus often shifts quickly, this is something I’ve carried with me all the way.
Maybe this is where my flow lives — in words, in rhythm, in the act of writing myself forward.

And maybe it connects with my studies in counselling.
Because both writing and therapy are about words — presence, listening, and language that can bring change.

Your advice to others who want to write for years?
Write when you need to, not when you should.
Let your blog be a place for breathing, not performing.
Follow what feels true — that’s where your direction lives.

I believe blog statistics and the rhythm of writing both tell the same story — of movement, presence, and life.


Also Read – Conversations, Healing, and Reflection

And for those curious about balance and well-being:


When Words Become Breath

I think I’m beginning to understand what this is all about.
To write, to read, to breathe — they all belong together.

Words have followed me for sixteen years, but only now have they started whispering back.
They’ve become my way to live, to listen, to understand — the world, and myself.

Maybe this is what it feels like to truly breathe.
Not because you must, but because you want to.


AHA

I realize that I’ve arrived — to the place where I begin to see how everything connects: words, technology, and trust.
I want to keep exploring, but at my own pace.
Not to perform — but to learn, in my rhythm, in my language.


Between the Lines – Where I Live

There’s a quiet pride here.
A feeling that I finally see the fruits of everything I’ve built since 2009.
I’m learning, understanding, still growing.

Maybe this is my way — never finished, always becoming.

Carina Ikonen Nilsson

“Yesterday has already settled into history, tomorrow waits a little further ahead.
But right now — this is where life happens.”
Carina Ikonen Nilsson


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Misty morning by the lake with a quiet pier – a calm reflection of love, silence, and the moment when grief knocks again.

Blog Statistics malix.se October 2025

Blog statistics malix.se October 2025 shows two quiet weeks without social media sharing, yet readers kept finding their way here. On trust, quiet weeks, and a blog that stands on its own

Read this on Swedish here.


Blog statistics malix.se October 2025 – when I stopped sharing

Blog statistics malix.se October 2025 reflects two quiet weeks when I chose not to share any posts on social media.
No links on Facebook, no Threads updates – just quiet publishing.
It wasn’t planned as an experiment, but it turned out to be one.
A test of trust.

What happens when I let my words travel on their own, without pushing them forward?
The answer came slowly but clearly: the blog lives, even in silence.


When words find their own way

Even without sharing, readers still found their way here.
Not as quickly as before, but with a different kind of presence.
It feels as if people now come because they want to, not because a link appeared in a feed.

That thought makes me quietly happy.
malix.se seems to have become a place people return to – not just pass by.


Blog statistics and what they tell about direction

Looking at the most-read posts, a familiar pattern appears.
Texts about positive psychology, gratitude, and the slower rhythm of everyday life continue to speak to people.
When I write straight from the heart – about calm mornings, autumn colors, or a simple act of presence – those words stay alive the longest.

Maybe that’s why the traffic remains stable, even without social media.
When words come from honesty, they find their way.


Readers from near and far

Blog statistics malix.se October 2025 also shows that readers keep coming from many parts of the world.
Mostly from Sweden, but also from the United States, India, and Greece.
It feels almost magical to imagine someone far away reading about my misty morning swim at a Swedish lake – and perhaps recognizing the same stillness in their own way.


When the blog carries itself

A few readers chose to support the blog through PayPal.
That means more than words can tell.
Behind each click is someone who recognized something in what I wrote,
someone who wants the writing to continue.
That quiet encouragement is a sign that the blog truly carries itself.


Two weeks of reflection – blog statistics malix.se October 2025

Two weeks without social media became two weeks of trust.
I learned that I don’t need to shout to be heard.
The blog stands there like a steady friend, breathing on its own when I let it.

Maybe life works the same way – sometimes we need to rest from chasing,
to see that what we already have actually works.


Looking back – two quiet weeks

The week before was much the same.
I shared sparingly, almost not at all, and expected the traffic to drop.
But it didn’t.
Views remained steady, readers stayed, and malix.se continued in its own rhythm.
It feels like the blog has grown into something larger than my efforts –
a space that lives on, even when I am silent.


AHA – between the lines

When we release control, we discover the quiet strength in what we’ve already built.


Two weeks of reflection – blog statistics malix.se October 2025

Two quiet weeks gave me peace.
No scheduling, no posting, no links – only writing, publishing, and letting go.
Maybe that’s where I want to stay for a while –
somewhere between movement and stillness,
between doing and simply being.


Support the blog:
Support my writing via PayPal

Subscribe to new posts:
Follow malix.se here


malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Yesterday has already settled into history, tomorrow waits ahead.
But right now – this is where life happens.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson

If you want to read more, visit
Living with Positive Psychology – as I see it
or Gratitude in Everyday Life – A Cold Swim and a Warm Evening.
If you’d like to read more about how gratitude supports emotional well-being, visit PositivePsychology.com.


Laptop with the blog malix.se open on the screen and a cup of coffee on the table – a calm morning moment that captures the essence of why I write: reflection and stillness.

Why I Write – When Words Begin to Breathe

Why I write is more than words on a screen.
It is a lifeline, a way to understand myself and the world around me.
Sometimes I wonder if there’s someone out there who recognizes themselves in my writing — someone who, by reading, finds comfort, stillness, or perhaps the courage to start writing, too.
Because when we share our words, a sense of connection is created – and two will always be more than one.

Read this post in Swedish → Läs inlägget på svenska


Why I Write – When Words Begin to Breathe

I don’t write to earn money.
I write to breathe.

To understand what I feel but can’t always explain.
To give space to thoughts that otherwise grow too many, too strong, or too silent.
When I write, I find my way back home to myself – one breath at a time.

Sometimes the words don’t come right away.
They wait, as if they need time to mature before becoming sentences.
In that silence, something important happens – things I don’t yet understand, but still feel.
That’s where the words are born, slowly, as if they’re searching for me as much as I’m searching for them.

There are many words inside me.
Words carrying memories, scents, voices, and dreams.
Words that have been quiet for too long, but eventually want to come out – not to be read, but to be free.


A Morning by the Lake

When I finally drove to the lake, the sky was magically beautiful.
I loved every centimeter of the road that led me there – the trees along the way shimmered in golden light as the sun tried to break through the autumn air.
At the lake, everything was a quiet performance for whoever happened to be watching – and that morning, that someone was me.

A small squirrel climbed playfully in a tree while the surface of the lake lay mirror-still.
The water was ten degrees, the air cold, and together they created a silver mist that rose like breath from the surface.
It was refreshing, life-affirming, and breathtakingly beautiful – a moment where every cell in my body awakened to life.
A perfect way to begin the day: a gift to myself, a loving way of greeting the morning.

Morning mist over a mirror-still lake surrounded by autumn-colored trees and a small raft by the shore – a quiet moment reflecting why I write: presence, stillness, and life in motion.
Morning by the lake. The water was perfectly still, the mist rising like breath – a reminder of why I write: to breathe, to feel, and to be right here, right now.

Why I Write – When Someone Recognizes Themselves

Maybe there’s someone out there who receives my words and feels something familiar.
Maybe that person becomes a little less lonely.
Because then there are two of us – and two are always more than one.

Maybe someone out there becomes inspired.
Someone who, by reading my blog, dares to share their own words and feel the same quiet joy I feel every morning when I open up malix.se.
When I see a little hello from another part of the world, a new flag, or just numbers whispering that someone took the time to read – it feels like a silent conversation.


When Stories Meet

Someone reads about Oskar – the child who finds school harder than most.
Maybe it brings comfort to a parent fighting for their own Oskar in a world that doesn’t always understand.
Maybe it brings hope – a sense of not being alone, a will to keep going, to find small insights, new thoughts, and strength in knowing that others are trying to understand too.

That’s why I write.
Not for applause or statistics – but for the closeness between words, between people.
So that there will be a place where everyday life can breathe, where sorrow can speak, and where joy can whisper its quiet thank you.

I don’t write so the world will listen.
I write so that someone, somewhere, perhaps today, will feel that we are two.


Questions for You, the Reader

  • What do my words awaken in you?
  • Have you ever written to understand, rather than to explain?
  • What does it mean to you to share something personal – big or small – with another person?

AHA – Between the Lines

Words are not born from a need to be seen,
but from a longing to reach out.
When someone recognizes themselves, something quiet but profound happens – meaning takes form in the meeting.


Between the Lines – My Voice

When I share my words, I become less alone.
And when you read them, perhaps you do too.
Together we create a space where life can be what it truly is.


Why I Write – Reflection

Writing is like exhaling after a long day.
It’s not always neat or beautiful, but it’s real.
And in every text, in every sentence, there’s a piece of the stillness I seek – and sometimes find.


Quote

Live today, right now. Right now is always a place to rest, a place to dare to feel.
Yesterday isn’t here, and we can’t change it.
What we have is now – and tomorrow will be the memories we make today.
How do we want to create them?
I want to create memories filled with moments of kindness, respect, and authenticity.
Right now is what matters.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson


Read More


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Subscribe to the blog here

Mushrooms growing side by side in nature – a symbol of harmony, balance, and ethics and morality in everyday life.

Ethics and Morality in Everyday Life – a Misty Morning

A misty morning by the lake awakens thoughts about stillness, rhythm and ethics and morality in everyday life. In the cold clarity of the water, body and mind wake up together, reaching for balance.

Read this post in Swedish ->En ny morgon – om etik och moral i vardagen


Just like in nature, we grow best when balance, respect and cooperation are allowed to exist side by side.


Morning Swim, Coffee Aroma and Ethics and Morality in Everyday Life

It was another beautiful morning.
The night had been restless – tossing and turning, warm, cold, warm again.
But now it was morning, a new day to take care of. The coffee beside me smelled rich and aromatic. My grandmother’s lamps were lit, spreading their soft glow across the dark dawn.

Before 7:50 I was already by the lake.
On the way there, mist hung thick, and the world felt almost enchanted. A woodpecker climbed a tree while small birds fluttered around its trunk mirrored in the still water.

The morning lay quiet and misty over the lake in Högsäter. Here, surrounded by silence and birds, the day began with a cold and invigorating swim – a moment of stillness and reflection on ethics and morality in everyday life.

Misty morning at the lake in Högsäter – silence, reflection and awakening with ethics and morality in everyday life.
The morning lay quiet and misty over the lake in Högsäter. Here, among birds and stillness, the day began with a cold and life-giving swim – a moment of reflection on ethics and morality in everyday life.

The water held just over ten degrees, and therefore the chill awakened every part of me. I floated for a while, breathing in the silence. Leaves from the tree at the water’s edge drifted like small islands on the surface – the whole morning felt like a painting, still and almost unreal.


New Swim Cap and the Steps Home – Ethics and Morality in Everyday Life

Today I also wore my new swim cap, the one that says “Vinterbadarna i Högsäter – Keep Up.”
I smiled as I put it on, because it felt like a promise to myself – to keep going, to hold on, even when it’s cold.

Grey swim cap with the text “Vinterbadarna i Högsäter – Keep Up” – symbol of strength, connection and ethics and morality in everyday life.
The new swim cap – Vinterbadarna in Högsäter – became a small joy of the day. A reminder to keep going, even through the cold. Sometimes, that’s what ethics and morality in everyday life truly means.

The new swim cap – Vinterbadarna i Högsäter, Keep Up – became a small joy of the day.
A reminder to keep going, even when the cold bites.
However, sometimes that’s what ethics and morality in everyday life really means – to continue in love, even through resistance.

Homemade muesli roasting in the oven – the scent of simple joy and ethics and morality in everyday life.
After the swim came warmth. The scent of oranges, raisins and freshly roasted muesli filled the kitchen – a reminder of simple joy and ethics and morality in everyday life.

When I stepped out of the water, wrapped myself in my robe and drove home, breakfast was waiting.
My cottage-cheese bread with orange and raisins filled the air with pure joy. In the oven, a new tray of homemade muesli was roasting, and the day ahead would hold reading – a little mindfulness, personal growth, and conversation methodology.
That will be enough for today.


After the swim came warmth. The scent of oranges, raisins and freshly roasted muesli filled the kitchen – a reminder of simple joy and ethics and morality in everyday life.


Thoughts on Ethics and Morality in Everyday Life

Yesterday morning I spent time reading my study notes, reflecting on what truly matters in the subjects of ethics and grief.
Ethics is a topic I’ve always loved deeply. Over the years, I’ve seen what happens when people act without it.
So much goes wrong when ethical thinking is missing from how we treat one another.

It’s an important topic, one that needs to be discussed in workplaces and in society at large.
We need more ethics and morality in everyday life – among politicians, healthcare workers, municipalities and schools.
Everywhere people meet, there must be understanding, dignity and respect.

We all need to keep working on this, especially those of us in helping professions.
Our ethical compass should guide us to reflect on what we did, what worked well, and what could have been better.

The person we meet often wants to do right but can’t – not yet.
If the encounter becomes tense or difficult, we must still meet them with respect and remind ourselves:

They want to, but they can’t. Not yet.

When we hold that understanding, it becomes possible to meet – even in the storm.
I’ve met many people who have been in that place of helplessness, unable to act in the moment.
It’s not easy, still, when the compass is set right, there are always paths to take.


When the Child Is Caught in Between – Ethics, Morality and Alienation

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about parental alienation.
It appears everywhere – in articles, discussions and social media.
The situation where a child is pulled away from one parent, and what that does to their heart.

It’s clear to me that a parent who turns a child against the other does the child a deep disservice.
Their actions tell the child, silently:

You’re only good enough if you think like me.

But there’s another side, too.
Sometimes it isn’t about the will to harm, but about fear, pain or anger.
A parent who feels betrayed or afraid of losing their child might draw them too close – and in doing so, pull them away from another part of themselves.
Because the child is made of both parents.

Research shows that children in such situations often feel confusion, sadness, guilt and shame.
They love both parents but are forced to choose, often without understanding why.
They learn early that some feelings can’t be shown, that certain memories should be hidden, and that loyalty comes with a price.

Inside grows a quiet grief – over what’s no longer shared.
As adults, many describe a sense of never being enough.
Love became conditional:

You’re good only if you choose the right side.

But there is hope.
Because as much as a child carries pain, they also carry the strength to heal, given support, safety and understanding.
A child is never broken – only wounded. And wounds can heal.

Read more about Parental Alienation – Psychological Impact on Children.


Distance and Quiet Hope

Sometimes I think it’s not about will or malice at all, but rather about fear.
the fear of conflict, of losing peace, of stirring things up.
Perhaps that’s why some choose distance: to protect stillness, not to cause harm.

I try to remember that silence doesn’t always mean rejection.
Sometimes it’s simply a way of finding calm.
Yet even silence carries weight – it holds words that were never said.

I don’t know what the road ahead looks like,
but I do know that love doesn’t disappear just because we can’t meet.
It remains, like a soft breath in the air – waiting, quiet, without demand.
And perhaps, one day, it will find its way back again.


Ethics in the Small and the Great

In the end, all of this is really about ethics and morality in everyday life, just in different forms.
When we talk about alienation, or about the distance between people,
what we’re really talking about is how we meet each other as human beings.

Ethics doesn’t just belong in workplaces or institutions.
It lives in our daily lives, in our relationships,
in how we speak about one another, and in what we let our children hear.

To meet another person with dignity, respect and understanding – that is the essence of ethics.
To see that even those who have hurt us might carry something we cannot see.
To remain in what is true and good, even when it hurts.

For me, this has become clear: ethics isn’t just something I study.
It’s something I try to live – in every meeting, in every thought.
That’s where the path begins, in work and in life.


Reflection on Ethics and Morality in Everyday Life

Ethics. Morality. Humanity.
Three words that may sound big, yet at their heart, they mean simply seeing each other with kindness.
Therefore, before we judge, we pause. Before we reply, we listen.
And remembering – we never truly know what another person carries inside.

If you’d like to read more about gratitude and everyday ethics, visit
Positive Psychology in Everyday Life. in the post it is a link to English.


malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Yesterday has already rested in history. Tomorrow waits a little further ahead.
But right now – this is where life happens.

– Carina Ikonen Nilsson


Support my writing:

PayPal.me

Subscribe to my blog:

Follow malix.se here


Lit candles in a window surrounded by green plants – a quiet morning symbol of structure and balance in everyday life.

Structure and Balance in Everyday Life – A Morning Reflection

A slightly different morning at home. Today, there will be no swim, because a parent-teacher meeting on Teams awaits. The missed swim instead gave way to a long, warm shower — not at all the same as walking down to the lake, but still lovely. Perhaps that’s what it’s all about — finding structure and balance in everyday life, even when the day doesn’t turn out as planned.

Read this post in Swedish → Struktur och balans i vardagen – en morgonreflektion


Morning Without the Lake – But Not Without Stillness

A warm cup of coffee on a quiet morning – a moment of structure and balance in everyday life.

My coffee stands beside me as my thoughts wander between schoolwork and household tasks. Right now, a bit of anxiety lives in my body — piles of papers waiting to be read and reflected on. I know I need to find structure; however, I don’t want it to become like last time. Back then, I studied around the clock and felt anxious whenever I wasn’t studying.

This time, I want balance. I’ll ask AI to help me create a structure for my studies and everything else that needs doing. What did we actually do before AI? How did we manage to fit the puzzle pieces of life together?


Studies, Solitude and a New Kind of Companion in the Search for Structure and Balance in Everyday Life

After the meeting, I’ll return to my reading. The subject interests me, and when it does, words flow more easily. My ADHD helps here — when curiosity takes over, focus follows. But I miss classmates — someone to discuss and practice with. For now, AI has become my conversation partner. It works, but it’s not the same as having another person to share ideas with.

It’s quieter this way. Still, in the quiet, there’s also space to listen inward.

I recently wrote about Living with Positive Psychology.


The Little One, the Room and Everyday Rhythm

Yesterday, my little one wanted to rearrange his room. It happens fast when he does it — furniture moves, but not much else. When I rearrange, I want to clean behind, underneath, and around everything. The small clutter probably slept with him last night. He can sleep with anything — Lego pieces, chips, you name it. Everything except spiders and wasps.

It’s in those small moments that everyday life truly lives. That’s where warmth hides — right in the middle of all the stress.


Thoughts of Hugo and the Ache of Longing

Yesterday, I saw on Instagram that little Hugo, my grandson, was sick.
It feels strange to only learn what happens in my grandchildren’s lives through social media. We live just a mile apart, yet contact travels through a screen. He’s grown so much now. I imagine his words are clear, that you can understand everything he says.

Those thoughts hurt, but I try to turn them around: it’s good that he gets to rest while he’s ill.
My little one. I would have liked to bring ice cream and a comic — the kind of things you bring to someone who’s sick. But some wishes have to remain just that — wishes.


A New Day, a New Choice

Today is the first day of the rest of my life, and therefore a reminder that change starts now.
A good day is something you create yourself, regardless of what happens.
Because what truly matters is not what happens — but how we choose to respond to it.


AHA – Between the Lines of Structure and Balance in Everyday Life

Between the lines, this text is about daring to find balance when life tilts.
It’s about living with ADHD and learning to manage what might otherwise take over.
It’s also about longing — for closeness with my son and grandchildren, but also for the presence of a study partner to share ideas with. And about the ability to shift perspective, to find gratitude in the middle of absence.
It’s a story of self-awareness, acceptance and small victories in everyday life.


Reflection – Finding Structure and Balance in Everyday Life

Maybe that’s how life teaches us: sometimes we have to give something up to rediscover ourselves.
Today I choose to skip the swim but instead create stillness.
It’s in those small choices — between the shower, the coffee, and the thoughts — that life truly happens.


What I’m Grateful for Today

This morning, I began by thanking life for letting me wake up to a new day, even without the swim.
I’m grateful for the chance to breathe in this morning, for the warm water running from the tap, and for the joy of a long shower. Not everyone appreciates that simple pleasure — but I do.
I’m also grateful that I dared to begin this education, even though it awakens both performance and anxiety.
Even my anxiety gets a thank-you today — it reminds me that I’m human, alive, and still learning.
And I’m grateful that Instagram exists — because without it, I wouldn’t even have seen a picture of little Hugo or known that he was sick. It hurts, but it also heals — because through the screen, I still get to see him, to know he’s there, in the middle of life.


Questions for You, Dear Reader

How do you find structure and balance in everyday life?
When life feels heavy, what helps you return to calm?
Can you relate to the wish to be enough — and the need to rest?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. I read every one of them.


Support the Blog

If you enjoy my writing and want to support my work, you can do so via:
PayPal.me

Or subscribe to the blog so you don’t miss new posts:
Subscribe to malix.se here


malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Live today. Dare to feel life, and let life teach you.
Yesterday rests behind us, having taught us what it could.
Tomorrow is not yet a memory, nor something we know.
Right now — this is where we can live and breathe.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson


Gratitude in everyday life – golden autumn leaves reflecting stillness, warmth, and the quiet beauty of nature.

Gratitude in Everyday Life – A Cold Swim and a Warm Evening

Sometimes gratitude in everyday life shows itself in the simplest of moments – a cold swim, the warmth of a fire, or a conversation that touches something deep inside.
This weekend was filled with just that: chill, warmth, and quiet reminders of what truly matters.

Read this post in Swedish ->Tacksamhet i vardagen – ett kyligt bad och en varm kväll


A Cold Swim That Awakened Stillness

I went for a swim today – cold, refreshing, and absolutely wonderful.
The water temperature has started to drop, and the body quickly turns numb, so you can’t stay long.
Yet that makes it even more beautiful.
A deep calm spreads through every cell, and thoughts arrive one by one.

The warmth that comes afterward is indescribable – as is the feeling that I did it.
Even though I do this often, every swim feels like a small victory.
A moment that belongs only to me, for my own sake.
It’s here that I often find gratitude in everyday life – in the stillness, in the water, in the present moment.

 gratitude in everyday life – in the stillness, in the water, in the present moment.

Read also: Morning Swim and Everyday Joy ➜


An Evening with the Young Ones and the Warmth of the Fire

Yesterday our boy from Gothenburg came home with his girlfriend.
We had dinner together and spent the evening talking in the living room.
She had some back pain and asked if I had a TENS device – which I did.
She lay on the floor with the electrodes connected, receiving that little electric massage, and I lent her my heating belt as well.
I don’t know if the pain eased, but at least the moment changed how her body felt.

Later that night, I lit a fire in the basement.
We laid out mattresses and made a bed down there so they could fall asleep to the crackling of the flames.
It’s such a soothing sound, that fire.

gratitude in everyday life in those little moments .

There’s so much gratitude in everyday life in those little moments – when people meet, share time, and warmth.

Read also: Autumn Projects and Everyday Joy – Morning Swims and New Ideas ➜


A Priest Who Touched an Entire Community

After today’s swim, the young ones got ready, and we went to church.
For a long time, we’ve had an incredible priest and parish leader here in our community.
Today was his farewell service before moving on to new assignments.

It felt like a quiet sadness in my heart, knowing he won’t be there for our school graduations or midnight masses at Christmas anymore.
I’m not someone who goes to church often, but this priest has been something truly special.

Gratitude in everyday life – applause and warmth filling the church during the farewell, a celebration of shared gratitude.
Applause and gratitude filled the church – a living reminder of how deeply he has touched the hearts of many.

A Message About Humanity and Responsibility

His sermon today touched me deeply.
He spoke about the state of the world, our country, and then about our own small village.
When he got to that part, my eyes filled with tears.

He spoke of elderly people confined to their homes or lower floors, or couples forced apart because the municipality doesn’t offer joint housing for them.
The thought hurt.
If my husband and I grow old and struggle to manage on our own – should we then be separated?

His words reminded me of how, back in 2006, we spoke of compassion and understanding, while now we speak of punishment and blame – as if everything is “their fault.”
But really, it’s about responsibility, empathy, and love.
We must once again become we, not us and them.
Division doesn’t nourish anyone – not us, not the world.

Read more about compassion on the Church of Sweden’s website ➜

Gratitude in everyday life – a thoughtful gift of yarn for a priest who loves knitting, a gesture of warmth for future journeys.
Our priest loves knitting, and since his new workplace will be a bit farther away, a kind soul gifted him yarn – so he can keep creating during his journeys to and from work.

When Words Reach an Entire Village

He also spoke about dictators, even mentioning Trump – and I could only agree.
I may not be religious, but I’m grateful I went to church today for his last sermon.
It gave so much.
It was also heartwarming to see how many people came to thank him – from local politicians and staff to young people who’ve listened to his school speeches over the years.

Gratitude in everyday life – a municipal representative thanking the priest for his dedication and presence in the community, a farewell filled with warmth and respect.
A representative from the municipality thanked the priest for his dedication and presence in the community – a meeting filled with warmth and mutual respect.
He also expressed gratitude that this farewell was one of life and presence.
Usually, farewells in church are linked to final goodbyes, but this time it was a heartfelt thank you and see you again.

Gratitude in Everyday Life – In Every Moment

In all of this, in all the words, gratitude in everyday life finds its home.
Gratitude for each moment, for the different shades of the day, and for our boy who drove 200 kilometers to be part of the farewell.
That alone says a lot – about him, and about a priest who has meant so much to so many.

And within it all, I feel gratitude toward myself too – for giving myself both the swim and the visit to church.
Gratitude for having witnessed this day, this priest, this quiet warmth that lingers even now.


Between the Lines – My Voice

Between the chill of the water and the warmth of the fire rests a simple truth:
Gratitude grows when you allow yourself to feel, not just to think.
To see, to listen, and to take part – that’s where the magic of ordinary life lives.


AHA – Between the Lines

It’s not always the big things that shape us, but the small, ordinary moments where the heart recognizes itself.
A swim, a thank-you, a conversation.
That’s where life happens.


Question for You

When did you last feel gratitude in everyday life for something you did just for yourself?
What small moment recently reminded you that you’re alive?


malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Yesterday has settled into rest.
From your choices yesterday, gratitude may already live within today –
gratitude that you can keep nurturing,
and that will return to you tomorrow.
It’s in the present we find it – where we live and breathe,
and here, we can cultivate our gratitude endlessly.

Carina Ikonen Nilsson


Church Under the Stars

Gratitude in everyday life – the church beneath the starry sky, symbolizing stillness and reflection.

The church beneath the stars – a quiet reminder of gratitude, presence, and life’s infinity.


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A full moon in a clear blue sky – a symbol of leaving the victim role behind and letting the past rest while the light guides the way forward.

Blog Statistics malix.se – October 5 to 11, 2025

When the blog grows – even when I slow down

This week, I haven’t done much. I haven’t shared on Facebook, barely posted on LinkedIn, and I haven’t written anything new.
Still, blog statistics malix.se show that you’ve continued to read, share, and find your way here.
That makes me both moved and curious – because it means the words now live a life of their own. They travel, even when I rest from the keyboard.

If you want to support the blog, you’ll find the PayPal link here.
And you can always subscribe to the blog here to receive new posts directly in your inbox.

Read this post in Swedish ->Veckostatistik malix.se – 5 till 11 oktober 2025


Blog Statistics malix.se – this week in stillness

More than 100,000 views, even though I barely lifted a finger.
That says something about the power of words – once they’ve found their place.

The most-read posts this week were:

  1. Welcome to malix.se – a blog where everyday life can breathe
  2. Gratitude in everyday life – a new morning, a cup of coffee, and the stillness of autumn
  3. When the words rest – and the body speaks
  4. Kay Pollak Workshop Mörkulla – a dream about growing
  5. When the Words Rest – and the Body Speaks (English version)

It feels like a quiet confirmation. These posts all share a theme – stillness, presence, and courage to rest in what is.
Maybe that’s where we meet – in the pause between the words.


Where you’re reading from

Readers from Sweden, the United States, India, Ireland, and Denmark have visited the blog this week.
It’s touching to see how words written in Swedish, later translated into English, can find wings and travel further than I imagined.


Questions for you, dear reader

  • How do you feel when you slow down – can you rest without feeling lazy?
  • Have you noticed that some things grow the most when you stop pushing?
  • Maybe that’s where the quiet magic lives – in the space where we simply are.

Between the Lines – My Voice

The blog grows, not because I push buttons, but because I’ve allowed it to become something genuine.
When you share something real – something that truly feels – it always finds its way to the right people.
It’s the same in life: what’s true doesn’t need to be shouted. It just needs to exist.


AHA – Between the Lines

I’ve realized that my blog is no longer something I need to drive forward.
It’s become a living room – a home where thoughts and feelings can take root.
And sometimes, the greatest growth happens when I do nothing at all.


Reflection

I’m grateful.
For every visit, every click, every moment you’ve paused here.
I haven’t shared, marketed, or tried to push anything – yet the blog is alive.
It makes me think – maybe it’s all about trust.
To let what is meant to grow, grow in its own rhythm.

A warm thank you for visiting my blog and reading my words.
It means more than you know.

malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Yesterday has already settled into history, tomorrow waits a little further ahead.
But right now – this is where life happens.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson


Oskar Series – Understanding


Morning

Morning again, and with my coffee beside me come thoughts of the Oskar Series understanding – how we meet, learn, and grow as adults.
The two lamps that once belonged to my grandmother cast a warm light in the darkness. The cat is outside, the house still asleep, and the morning is calm.

Read this in Swedish ->Oskar serien bemötande och vuxenansvar i vardagen

Today I will wrap the Christmas gifts my daughter and I bought in Ullared – a day filled with laughter, bargains, and reflection.
At the same time, my thoughts wander to the Oskar Series understanding and adult responsibility – how we, as adults, can meet children with empathy and help them grow in their abilities.

Coffee cup in morning light – reflection on the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility

This post is a personal reflection, inspired by experiences and thoughts about adult responsibility and the way we meet others.
It is not about a specific event, but about the inner process that awakens when we want to protect – and then realize how important it is to meet with calm and understanding.


A Day in Ullared

The trip to Ullared became more than just shopping. We found shoes, clothes, boots, and gifts – almost everything ready for December.
I even made a real find: a pair of Sketchers boots that usually cost around 1,500 SEK, but there – only 800.
They were so comfortable that it was impossible not to buy them.

My little boy got new pajamas, clothes, and a cap that made him happy.
My little girl received a few small Christmas gifts and a pair of cool boots.
It was a long day – we left home at seven in the morning and didn’t return until nine in the evening.
But now almost all the gifts are wrapped, and the feeling of being prepared brings a quiet peace.

Have you ever felt that mix of exhaustion and gratitude after a long, good day?


When the Tiger in Me Awoke – a Thought on the Oskar Series and Adult Responsibility

In the middle of everyday joy, something unexpected happened.
An email, not particularly kind, awakened something inside me – the tiger.
Suddenly, all the children I’ve ever met stood before me.
Not only my own, but also the young people I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years.

It was about understanding and adult responsibility.
About how adults sometimes put the blame on children – as if they alone carried the weight of what went wrong.
I felt my whole being rise up.
For me, it’s clear that when we work with children, we adults always carry the greatest responsibility.
We are the ones who must see, listen, and understand.

Children don’t misbehave out of malice. They act in the only way they can – based on their experiences, their capacities, and the safety or uncertainty that adults have created around them.
Do you recognize that feeling, when your concern for a child wakes the lion within you?


Afterward – Oskar Series, Understanding, and Adult Responsibility

In hindsight, I regret my own behavior.
I let the tiger take over and, for a moment, forgot my responsibility as an adult.
I should have stood firmer in myself and spoken about what really matters – the adult responsibility.
To create conditions for children to grow in their ability, not to remind them of what they cannot yet do.

In reflection, I see how I would rather have met the situation with a calm, soft voice.
I wish I had said:

“I want us to find solutions. How can we, together, help, see, and allow the child to grow? What can I do to make things easier? What is my responsibility?”

I wish I had offered to come, to explain what works and what doesn’t.
I wish I had said:

“We’re doing this together. I am in my role and you in yours – is there something we can do to make the path easier?”

Being an adult means carrying the ultimate responsibility: to meet children with respect, patience, and belief in their potential.

At the same time, I believe reflection is something we all need – even the other adult in that situation.
Sometimes we are so busy defending our own perspective that we forget to pause, breathe, and see the child together.
I should have invited the other person into the dance of reflection – that quiet movement where curiosity replaces defense.
But I didn’t. Perhaps it’s because I haven’t yet learned to dance, and that’s exactly what I need to practice.

When I read that email, I suddenly saw all the children I’ve met – those who struggled, those who carried heavy things.
I could almost feel them standing behind me, whispering: Don’t forget us. Keep speaking for us.
That’s what the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility is really about – seeing the child behind each reaction and realizing that we all have something to learn.


Oskar Knocks Again! Oskar Series, Understanding, and Adult Responsibility in Everyday Life

All these words – they’re really about little Oskar.
You know, Oskar from the NPF & School series, now resting for a while.
Maybe it’s him knocking again?
Perhaps it’s time to continue writing – about how important it is that we adults take our responsibility, dare to see the child behind the behavior, and stay present in the meeting.

How often do your own “Oskar moments” knock at the door? Those moments when your heart says: See the child behind the words.

Read more posts in The Oskar Series – NPF & School
and be inspired by Kay Pollak’s reflections on responsibility and human connection.


AHA

Sometimes our strongest reactions don’t come from anger but from love – from the wish to protect.
Yet the way back to calm reminds me of something even more important: even adults, just like in the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility, must keep practicing how to grow.


Between the Lines

When calm returns and the tiger within me rests, I see that it’s not about winning a war, but about understanding why we react as we do – and what that reveals about what we care to protect.
It also reminds me that my own reaction must remain calm.
For all the children who once stood before me, hoping I would keep fighting for them – I need that calm.
Because it’s in calmness that the real work can be done, it’s there that change begins.


Reflection

Now the coffee stands beside me again. The soft glow from my grandmother’s lamps fills the room.
The day lies untouched before me, with wrapping paper and ribbons waiting.
Outside, the sky begins to brighten.

Maybe it’s Oskar whispering: See me, understand me – I’m just trying to make it through another day.
And I whisper back: I’ll keep practicing being the adult – the one who helps you grow.
That’s part of the Oskar Series, understanding, and adult responsibility – a daily exercise in seeing, understanding, and growing together.

What This Taught Me

This meeting – between emotion and responsibility – became a reminder that calm isn’t always there from the start, but it can always be found again.
I learned that adults, too, need to keep practicing how to grow, to face their own reactions, and to choose presence instead of defense.
Perhaps it’s right there, in the stillness after the storm, that real learning happens – for both the children and for us adults.

malix.se/ Carina Ikonen Nilsson

Live today, right now.
The day before yesterday was the tiger, yesterday the reflection, today the action, and tomorrow will be the rest.
Maybe I’ve already learned something – perhaps even right now.

– Carina Ikonen Nilsson

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This text is a personal reflection, not a description of any specific person, place, or situation. Its purpose is to inspire understanding and shared responsibility in how we meet children.


Autumn colors by the lake and an empty pier waiting for the next swim – a quiet morning near Morkulla, reflecting on the Kay Pollak workshop Morkulla.

Kay Pollak Workshop Morkulla – A Dream About Growing

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Right now is the best day of the rest of my life.
The joy of getting full marks on my first assignment was the beginning. It ended in reflections about a dream. I dream to one day take part in a Kay Pollak workshop at Morkulla.

Läs det här på Svenska ->Kay Pollak workshop Morkulla – en dröm om att växa

A morning swim.

Before I sat down to write this post, I actually made it out for a morning swim.
I have such thoughtful swimming sisters, and today we talked about swim times.
Nothing has changed yet – it’s still light outside – but I think it would suit me better to swim a little later in the mornings.
That will have to wait until it gets darker at dawn.

The swim was wonderful. The air and the water were almost the same temperature, maybe a degree warmer in the lake. 11 degrees Celsius at land and 12 in the water.
It was bubbly, soft, and such a gentle way to wake up.
Autumn colors have started to settle around the lake, painting the scene in warm, quiet beauty.

My first assignment i my therapist training program

I just received the results for my first assignment in my therapist training program.
The maximum score was ten points – and I got them all.

I was so happy that I had to call my husband right away. The first assignment, done and passed.
It might not have been the most difficult task, so maybe others got full marks too.
But still – what joy it brought! It also became proof that I have chosen the right path.

Laptop and coffee cup in the living room where the blog malix.se is open on the screen – a moment of reflection and writing about the Kay Pollak workshop Morkulla.

A quiet morning in my living room. Coffee, words, and the blog – all at once, right where the day begins.


A Kay Pollak Workshop at Morkulla I Would Have Loved to Attend

That wasn’t really what I had planned to write about today.
What caught my attention was a workshop that Kay Pollak will be holding at Morkulla.

I’ve just spent quite a bit of money on the education I’m taking right now, which means I can’t afford to attend this workshop.
But oh, how tempting it would have been.

To spend an entire weekend with others who, like me, strive to live more consciously, honestly, and authentically.
I believe it would have been both exciting and deeply meaningful – to meet people who dare to take off their masks and be completely themselves.


Kay Pollak Workshop Morkulla

I’ve never attended anything quite like that before, but the thought of it stirs something within me.
To live with Kay’s words for an entire weekend – to open channels for new thoughts, to be reminded that thoughts are just thoughts, and that they can be replaced.

Moreover, I often practice questioning my own thoughts:
Are they true? How might someone else see this? What proof do I really have that what I think is true?

It’s an exercise that changes a lot, and perhaps that is the essence of Kay’s philosophy – to dare to choose thoughts that serve you.

Earlier, I wrote about how gratitude in everyday life can transform an entire day.
This reflection feels like a natural continuation of that – seeing how thoughts and gratitude are connected.


Kay Pollak and the Idea of Choosing Thoughts

Many years ago, I attended a lecture where Kay spoke for three or four hours.
What hours they were.

I remember laughing at myself, at my own small limitations – and at the same time, I grew.
Those hours made me grow as a person, as a colleague, and as myself within myself.

By then, I had already read his books and watched his films, but seeing him live, in that very moment when the words happen, was something else entirely.
It was inspiring, warm, and deeply insightful in a way that has stayed with me.


Longing for a Kay Pollak Workshop

I wish I had a few extra thousand kronor right now – I would have gone.
But perhaps another opportunity will come.

One day, I want to sit there in the stillness between words, practicing even more to choose the thoughts that give me energy.
Until then, I continue my journey here – in my studies, in everyday life, and in the words that help me grow.

“I practice replacing the thoughts that don’t serve me with those that help me grow.”


AHA – Between the Lines

It’s easy to think that personal growth requires big steps or trips to new places.
But often, growth begins in the small things – in a thought that changes, in a new way of seeing yourself.
Choosing your thoughts is taking responsibility for your inner life. That’s where transformation begins.


Between the Lines – My Voice

When I wrote this, I felt both gratitude and longing.
Gratitude for having come this far, for studying something that feels right in my heart.
But also longing – for deeper conversations, more genuine meetings, and to keep growing in authenticity.
Maybe that’s where I am right now – in the middle of a movement toward something larger.


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Question for You

Have you ever attended a workshop or lecture that truly changed something in you?
Or, like me, have you longed to take part in something but had to wait?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.


Live today, right now.
Yesterday no longer exists, except in traces of what was.
I can’t redo anything from yesterday – but today, right now, I have the chance to influence tomorrow.
It’s in all the “nows” that I live and breathe.

– Carina Ikonen Nilsson


My bathing bag inside the small red bathhouse by the lake – a quiet moment before the water, where stillness and the body meet.

When the Words Rest – and the Body Speaks

There are days when the words don’t want to come.
When the body speaks louder than the mind and the world feels still, almost silent.
Today is one of those days.
Sometimes it feels as if both the body and the words need rest – as if stillness itself wants to speak.
Maybe I need to step back from the words for a while, let the body have its say and let the lake, the wind and the silence take their place.

Läs det här på Svenska ->När orden vilar – och kroppen ropar

Ideas are not plentiful today. It feels as if the words have run out.
It might be because of the pain in my neck, or simply because I have nothing new to tell.

In earlier years, this would have frightened me. The thoughts would come: have my words run out? Do I need help to find them again?
But now I simply feel that maybe I need to rest from the words.
Because they usually show themselves to be there, just behind the noise.
They haven’t yet found their way into this morning – maybe they’ll arrive another day.
Sometimes the words just need to rest in the body, to be rocked into a quiet song.


By the Lake

Wooden jetties by the lake on a quiet autumn morning, where stillness rests and the body speaks. A place for rest and reflection.

Yesterday morning at the lake. The jetties lay still and the world held its breath. Here, both the words can rest and the body can speak.

I went down to the lake to bathe.
Only one of us “bathing sisters” swam; the rest of us stood with our hands above the water, letting our bodies cool down.
I was first into the water and first back out again.

The feeling in my body after a swim is always wonderful.
For a short while the pain disappears and my whole body fights to regain its warmth.
Energy rushes through me and my thoughts slow down.

Even though the swims are wonderful and give me strength, I don’t think I’ll swim today.
I’m thinking that I probably need to go to the health centre and get my neck sorted out. It’s been almost a week and a half now and the pain isn’t going away.
Maybe I can get something stronger than Alvedon or Ipren, because right now it feels as if I can’t stand it any longer.
I thought it was just a bit of neck pain, but the pain keeps changing and gives strange sensations in my body.


Reflection

In the past I would have been afraid that my words had run out.
Now I think that perhaps it’s just like the body – it needs recovery to have strength again.
The words aren’t resting to disappear; they’re resting to come back with new force.


AHA

It struck me today that words and the body are alike in some ways.
When I give them rest, when I allow space for silence, both the words and the body find their way back into their own flow.


Between the Lines – My Voice

Between the pain, the swims and the silence lives a longing for balance.
To dare to pause, to dare to be without words for a while – that is perhaps also a kind of strength.
Life goes on anyway, and one day both the body and the words will awaken again.


Read Also


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Final Reflection

It’s as if the body and the words work together in their own way.
When one needs rest, the other carries the stillness.
I think maybe this is how life tells me to slow down a little,
to let the morning be quiet without rushing anything forward.

Perhaps it’s not about finding my way back to the words,
but about letting them find their way back to me – when the time is right.

Morgondopp i sol och rykande sjö

I live today, right now. History teaches me to rest in body and soul. Tomorrow waits out there in the future – a day I cannot live today. But what I do now can grow into something tomorrow. Right now is always, because this is where life is lived.
– Carina Ikonen Nilsson

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