Taking Time for Yourself

I am hanging out in Gothenburg, Sweden, visiting my friend Sandra from college - finally beginning to feel, one month into my "hiatus" and a little over a week into my trip, that I can relax more fully. Sandra and I watched the Swedish airing of Jay Leno the other night with Justin Timberlake as a guest. Justin and Jay talked about Justin's decision to take a 2-year sabbatical from work. Many wondered what was wrong or why he would do such a thing at the prime of his life and in the midst of a successful career. He simply explained that his grandfather had told him he should enjoy life while he was still young and able to do so. So he spent two years playing golf and learning how to enjoy life.

While I am not proposing that I am anything like Justin Timberlake nor that he should be some sort of role model, I believe there is much to be learned from what he did. We (Americans especially) often are so focused in doing what we think we should be doing that we forget to enjoy ourselves along the way. I know I have operated under that mentality for too long. It is almost impossible to "enjoy the journey" when you feel you are in a constant state of trying to be everything to everyone. We are taught that power and money and status are what will bring us contentment and happiness, yet we never reach fulfillment because those things probably take away from it more than lend to it. Is it any wonder that some of the wealthiest countries and people are also the most discontent? The truth is we need to learn to embrace the present, to relax and to enjoy what happens along the way to wherever we are heading.

That is exactly one of my goals of this odyssey: to learn to relax and enjoy life. Of course, not working for four months in itself should go far in teaching me how to relax, but I believe being in Europe also fulfills a vital piece of the prescription. Ever since my first trip to Europe, I have been in awe of Europeans' ability to take it easy and embrace life in the moment. Granted, they have the same stresses as anyone else, but they seem to place more importance on taking a break from work to sit at a street cafe and sip a coffee or closing their shops to take a nap or spend time with family and friends. These, my friends, are the things worth living for... not owning the latest model of cell phone or being the best at everything. Since I seem to forever live in a state of stress - trying to do and be too much - I know this trip will be a healthy reminder for me of what is truly important.

So, for any of you who were concerned about my seemingly rash decision to take a sabbatical in the midst of some of my most promising working years, I assure you that this is the healthiest thing I could be doing with my time. While I am young and able, I am enjoying life to the fullest, and I hope I can encourage others to learn to do the same!

Copenhagen, Denmark (September 25, 2006)

Since my friend Anders had to work on Monday, I decided to take a day trip to Copenhagen, Denmark, which is about an hour by train from Lund. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, has about 1.5 million inhabitants, but the inner part of the city still feels rather quaint and only took a few hours to walk. As you can see from the pictures, it is filled with gorgeous architecture, lively squares, and a colorful harbor area (Nyhavn). The Nyhavn, Strobel, and Kongens Nytorv areas bustled with shopping, cafes, and street musicians even mid-day. Even in my hurry to see the city, I had to stop to enjoy the excitment of these crowded open areas! I would have loved to have sat at a street cafe all afternoon, just watching the activity, but I didn't have any Danish krona (money). Instead I settled for an afternoon rest in the Kongens Have (King's Gardens) near the beautiful Rosenborg Slot castle, where locals come to picnic or relax on the lush green grass.

With this little adventure, I successfully survived my first day of hanging out in a city by myself! I consider it a test of strength to not know a city, not speak the language, not have any money in the correct currency, not have anyone to rely on or share it with, and still have a good time! Even being a fairly independent person, who does not mind being alone, I did feel at times that I would have liked to have had someone to enjoy it with. But there are a lot more days like that to come, so this is the perfect time embrace being alone in a strange place and meeting new people!

For the complete photo journal of Copenhagen, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.

Lund, Sweden (September 22-24, 2006)

Friday was spent traveling from Göttingen to Sweden through northern Germany and Denmark. Having traveled quite extensively through Europe, my journey was relatively uneventful and unexciting. One point of interest was the ferry ride across the Baltic Sea from Puttgarten, Germany, and Rodbyhavn, Denmark. Our train actually drove up onto the ferry, we were able to walk freely around the ferry for 45 minutes, and then the train continued on the normal tracks on the other side!

Lund, Sweden, a university town of 100,000, is Sweden’s second oldest city. Like Goettingen, it is filled with students, so it has a fun, eclectic atmosphere. My friend Anders and I have spent most of the weekend walking around the town, which is small and quaint and filled with medieval architecture The weather has been gorgeous and unusually warm for this time of year (in the 70s). On Saturday morning, we visited an open-air flea market and today we strolled through the botanical garden. Throughout the course of the weekend, we have met a lot of Anders’ friends; they have been amazingly friendly and, fortunately, happy to speak English with me. Tomorrow, while Anders is at work, I will make a daytrip to Copenhagen, Denmark, which is about an hour by train from Lund.

For the complete photo journal for Lund, visit http://www.AndreasOdyssey.shutterfly.com.