It’s all about contrasts, isn’t it?
Last year I spent my birthday with my only company being the lactic acid in my legs, as I slowly headed up my very first mountain pass in rural China. After waking up to a -7C tent and a flat tyre, and before falling asleep in the only slightly warmer guesthouse bed that together with some overpriced (and under delivering) chocolates was my gift to my then 24-year-old self.
This year I spent it leaned back with a glass of wine and a t-shirt. And Mom.
Mamma.
My Mamma.
My sweet, loving mother who’d been brave enough to fly all across the globe to – if only for a little while – give the middle finger to that constantly growing geographical gap that had been keeping us apart for a good eternity or two. Touching ground at Queenstown airport, and giving me one of those near chokingly tight hugs exactly 365 days after that day of numb toes in China.
Contrasts.
Writing this I’m going to assume that you have a mom too. Perhaps even a daughter. And I’m going to assume that your imagination will do a way better job connecting to this feeling than my words could ever do.
As always everything is relative. But as far as this journey goes the 3 months I spent in New Zealand were all one long dreamy vacay. Surely one with all the elements that some thousands kilometers of cycling involves, but still. And that final week together with Mom. That was the crescendo of a lifetime.
And I think she was quite happy to see me too :-)
I’ll spare you with the details about us going full on tourist, exploring the southern parts of New Zealand’s south island together. Holding hands, bugging each other in true mother-daughter fashion, and then always ending up holding hands again. One thing that needs to be in the records though, is that after too many fruitless attempts we did manage to find this little guy!
Are people still playing Pokémon Go?
One week. One where as always, time was not enough. But oh, am I grateful for each moment of it. Because as though things inevitably come to their end, memories do last an eternity.
Tack för allt Mamma. Vi ses hemma. Jag älskar dig!
As every climb is rewarded with a descent, every high is eventually followed by a low. Having Mom disappear just as quickly as she came would no doubt have meant a big one, if it wasn’t for 2 very special people that I could never finish off this post without mentioning.
Gordie & Katrin. You mad human beings! If you only knew how glad I am to have gotten to stumble into your life, house and playground of a world. Thank you for every little (and big!) part of it.
We’re all different. And to me, these people are the ultimate form of inspiration. Two loving, playful spirits committed to making it all count. To making each day a good one. Including the ones where one’s mom heads off back to the other side of the world. Thank you is nowhere near enough for all that you’ve done for me, but I still want to say it one more time.
(And yes, yes, yes Katrin. Let’s play in Norway next time!)
Then at last – just as I started to find my balance on the SUP – came that very last sunset. And the following day I too boarded my flight. Closing a chapter of this journey that I have no intention of ever really letting go of.
It was that time of the year again.
Watch out South America. Here I come!
Until next time,
Fredrika Ek