Happiness is….. here and now:-)

My daughter hugging a penguin in the children’s slope

This Easter I went to the mountains in order to enjoy the last snow as all other Norwegians with a tiny bit of self respect do. And I spent the holiday contemplating happiness. Because I want to feel it every day. And because it is not there every day. I have a tendency to run, to new places and new experiences. Always searching for whatever I believe will make me happy. My husband thinks I am too restless, and I guess he is right. We talked about buying a new house. A new cabin in the mountains. And going on vacation. And spending next winter in the Caribbean somewhere. Hey, wait! All these plans, all these ideas….. they are nice dreams, but they do take up space from here and now. Because it is only here and now that matters. This moment is not coming back.

My husband had been sick all week, and I had been to my parents cabin on another mountain. These last days of Easter were spent on the ski slopes of the resort town Hemsedal, Norway. My soon 3 year old son tried out downhill skiing for the first time and loved it. My daughter loved running around on the slopes. And my husband and I loved hanging out with them and watching their happiness. I felt so much joy! We were the perfect family. Being together was all that mattered. I told my husband that I would rather have room for these moments in my life, than to spend my weekends refurbishing a new house or fixing a new garden. More things means more responsibility. I want more freedom instead. Freedom to be happy and enjoy life with my kids.

I have uploaded a few photos from our holiday, and I can add that a little hour or two to oneself on snowboard after the kids are done playing is an extra bonus. My husband and I take turns watching them. When you don’t have the freedom to go snowboarding whenever you want, you do enjoy it even more!

Happy camper in the ski lift

My husband and kids playing in the slopes

zero people, zero wind, zero clouds – happy times in the ski slopes

My son in the children’s ski lift