The heat is on...and it's dark

I live in a large apartment building. The heat is turned on for the whole building after there has been 5 consecutive days below 50 or it's October 20th. As this year has been unseasonably warm, never even reaching 50 for more than a few minutes here and there, the heat did not start coming through my radiators until recently. It was early one morning when I was drinking my coffee staring out the window when I felt the warmth from the radiator and realized my warm fall days will give way to winter sooner than later.

We also set out clocks back last Sunday (a week before the US). The evidence of dark winter is making its appearance by later afternoon now. It's so depressing to feel the sun begin to make its dramatic exit at 3:30. And within a little less than an hour, the sun has officially set.

But it's not winter yet so I will give each remaining leaf changing day the largest embrace I can offer. Each moment of sunshine is celebrated. Each leaf littered path is exclaimed over. And each invitation for a walk, fika or a party is taken.

As Swedes tend to favor simple and mild foods, there is a yearning from those who come from cultures with spicy foods, (or those of us who appreciate spicy even without the culture) to test their stamina every now and then to make sure they can go back to their respective countries with their dignity still in tact. So a spicy food cook off was organized. Spicy foods from Indonesia, Thailand, Pakistan, Taiwan, and Bangladesh were made. The Scandinavians were crying the whole time but the rest of us ate with relish and utter happiness.

And it wouldn't be a good party without karaoke. With so many different cultures converged it was hard to find songs we all had in common. Our most successful songs were Disney, Christmas or Whitney Houston. Who would have thought Whitney Houston was known by more people than Beyonce? Maybe it's a generational thing too...

As I walked to the bus with some friends feeling so content and happy to be living this life, I also felt this tightening around my heart that it's not going to stay like this for much longer. Time is ticking away and I will leave this life. It's amazing how we can hold such contrasting feelings within us.