Enjoy the simple things in life

Growing up in a small town in the south of Sweden I always had a strong wish to travel the world. And that I have done. I have been fortune to have had a lot of amazing life experiences such as walking on the Great Wall of China, snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef outside the coast of Australia and zip lining in the jungle of Mexico (and I will end the bragging here so you will continue to read this post and not hate me forever).

Traveling is oxygen in my vagabonding lungs and going on great adventures is what I want to do with my life. I find great joy in preparing and executing travel plans. However, it is important to also figure out what other things, perhaps more simple things, makes you feel good. At times, when I have been a bit overwhelmed with some unfortunate life events, I retreated to one magical place which has been able to alleviate mental stressors, for me, for years. The river Lagan, but more importantly the ducks which live there (okay I have realized I should call them mallards in English to be absolutely correct, but I have called them ducks for so long now that it’s hard to change). Lagan is the river that flows through my Swedish hometown, Laholm.

I absolutely love feeding the ducks there. Like really, I LOVE feeding them. My parents even freeze leftover bread for weeks before my arrival to make sure we have a supply. And if we are low on “duck food”, I will gladly spend a few dollars (okay, Swedish kronor as we don’t have the Euro nor use dollars) on old bread from the store. I can’t really put my finger on WHY I love feeding them so much. Perhaps it has to do with one of my favorite quotes by Aung San Suu Kyi: ” If you are feeling helpless, help someone.” Feeding them generally takes place during the Christmas season as that is when I am usually home and that is obviously a time when they need it the most. So I feel it’s a win win situation for all of us.

To walk down to Lagan and scout out the best spot to start feeding them is thrilling. Although I totally know now where to go, after years of doing this. Once you get one or two ducks excited and swimming with their feet (I almost wrote fins, seriously my English has it's flaws…ducks, mallards, fins) towards you, most often the whole flock arrives. I generally get my whole family involved in the process. Many years ago my dad uttered the words (and this in a very posh sounding voice for some reason): “If you feed them, I will hold the bag” (with food). “Om du matar fåglarna, så håller jag påååsen”. It’s a phrase my family and I use a lot, even to this day.

While watching the TV show “Gossip Girl” I learned that one of the characters, Blair Waldorf, also likes to feed ducks when she gets stressed. Although she technically has her nanny/servant Dorota feed the ducks in Central Park and she watches. But hey, whatever floats her boat. When I visited New York City in August last year, I also fed the ducks in Central Park. I have fed birds in Hyde Park in Sydney and at the beach in Malibu, California to name a few other spots. Although feeding birds of all kinds in different places offers thrilling experiences, I must say feeding the ducks at Lagan is the most soothing for my sometimes overheated brain.

So I recommend anyone finding their "duck feeding moments", enjoying the little things in life. Find something simple that can give you some peace of mind when the world around you seems to be moving too fast. Maybe try feeding ducks at a river close to you. If you want me to, I will come and hold the bag for you.