Raising a glass of water

Water has always been on my mind. When I was a kid, I used to wait by the water tank on the roof for it to fill up once a week, only to place a huge lock on its lid. I had to bath with only one bucket of heated water when we didn't get water at all, let alone clean water. 

Yesterday, I went kayaking for 8 hours in the archipelago of Stockholm, the city where I live surrounded by water in every direction. Where bathing in the fresh summer water and skiing during the winter become weekly activities for a whole population. 

Yesterdays Kayak tour in the Stockholm Archepelago. 

On my upper right shoulder, which I cannot move because of yesterday's kayaking, there's a snow flake tattooed thickly in the center, for a good reason: this Aquarius is symbolically a real water carrier.

I also happen to work with water, or water policy issues at a global water research institute. We teach water professionals, give water prizes, lead water science, and arrange one of the world's most important water conferences. After 10 years of journalism, covering water among other topics, I found out that beyond freedom of expression, water is an equally important agenda that should be pushed across and along global political structures.

Raising a glass of clean water is a luxury for billions around the world. So raise yours, and look at it for a second - this colorless, odorless, secret of life. And think, there's water in everything, you're 70% water, the earth is 90% water, your jeans, food, couch, it all consumed a whole lot of water before it got to you.

So raise your glass for those who can't have it - mostly because you do. 

Reflections on self distance and the 30 year old crisis

Keeping a distant from others can result in a meticulous process of self absorption. Keeping a distance from yourself, can be socially appealing. Recently, I've been wavering between the two, only to discover that you cannot take a distance from yourself, if you do not know yourself well enough to take yourself lightly, i.e. make light jokes about yourself to make others feel at ease, drop their guard, and feel no need for a confrontational stance. I mean, seriously, why take yourself seriously.

I've been in a bit of self reflection recently. Going back in my mind, I reflect that I have: 

- Never went to any of my own graduations: I missed them all on purpose. 

- Hate weddings and funerals: Barely called mine a wedding when I got married (or a celebration when I got divorced).

- Despise religious holidays, national days, and traditions: anything distantly traditional or "normal" such as eating three meals a day, meeting family at high seasons, sleeping in one shot, joining any group that can call themselves "us" is remotely unappealing and rather appalling to me.

- Know a whole lot of people, but none that I could call real friends: no one who knows me inside out.

- Judgmental: my way or the high way. 

- Breaks up relationships because of the slightest attempt to change my erratic ways of living. Or for showing any sort of religiousness towards a particular god, thought, group or party.
- Never succumbed to peer pressure, in fact, I drop the peer as soon as they pressure me.

- and most important of all, I love it. 

There are many ways to analyse this: cowardliness or bravery? Self absorption or self distance? Anti-social or socially open to all? Nomad or inept to establish bases? I guess the answer depends on the perspective of the reader. In any case, I have decided that after reflecting on who I have become, I shall:

- Continue to disregard any form of normativeness. 

- Won't feel no shame, for anything I do or anything I don't.

- Accept that the mind is a boggling mystery.

- Continue to play by the one simple truth: my life, my rules. I'll just continue to surround myself with those who have an understanding for the unshakable need for freedom and the parallel desire for closeness.

Being always "on the road somewhere" has been extremely helpful in making me adapt to anything that comes my way. But now, when I, for once, feel that I have established my own base, home, and roots somewhere, I am waking up to the fact that it is empty and rather lonely. I am no longer "on the road somewhere," I am "right here and right now" and I do have to face myself and my surroundings every passing minute. 

Mastering the art of being right here and right now is not only about being witty and quick. It seems to me that it is about accepting that you don't need to make a point to yourself, nor to others, anymore, and instead, take it all with a light heart. It is about stepping out of self absorption, and taking a distance from yourself. And only then, you can actually enjoy others for who they are (not too hard, or is it?).

I still don't give a shit about normativeness.