Slowing down

"There is this silence" observes Elise. We are heading uphill the small ski slope of my village with my 15 and 12 year olds. This silence and slow tempo of living. Two words to describe my dear home town here in the middle of rural Finland. My nostalgie is almost too sweet: here, I had time to drink home-made lingonberry juice at the terrace to mark the first sunny spring day, watch hours of winter olympics with my dad as the temperatures were below -20 C and the afternoons seemed endless. Time still seems to slow down as I am enjoying Christmas and New year here with my own family with my ever-youthful parents. Such a welcomed contrast to our frenetic daily life at home.