F**K IT MILES, GIVE ME SOME PRIVACY

About a month ago I woke up to my snooze alarm clock. Usually I stay in bed for five minutes with my eyes closed after waking up, thinking about all the good things I expect from the day. That morning though I realized I had been snoozing too much and we were running late, so I jumped out of bed and started dressing up. Suddenly I felt my pulse rising. My heart seemed to be beating out of my chest. As usual, I was wearing my Fitbit, so it was easy to see what the current heart rate was. It was over 170 and I had just woken up. I called my husband, who was on his way to work. I told him something was up with my heart. He said he was coming back home. I asked my 10-year-old daughter to come to talk to me and I had to do something I wish I did not need to impose on her. I told her if I pass out, she should call an ambulance, because my heart was beating way too fast at that moment and I was feeling very vulnerable. She sat on the bed with me and told me to breathe slow. My baby, taking ...

The women that I know could simply do anything. Some find their voices young, discover what makes their hearts sing. They defend the minorities and support causes of human rights, understand how to pick their battles, choose their fights. They take care of children, the elderly, the ill, are realistic, hard-working and have above strong will. They are fearless when thinking what is best for their kids and their families. These women, they volunteer and guide the young, study hard, teach, have PhD's. They plant flowers and cut fences, build backyard docks with their crew, kick ass, crochet and work hard to make their dreams to come true. They ride bicycles, longboards, motorcycles and horses, find their guts to go back to school, step over to other paths and discover what their force is. They study philosophy and concentrate on making the world, oh, so much better. Some turn themselves around, save their own lives and the life of another. They speak ...

Hieman alle vuosi sitten muutimme viisihenkisen perheemme kanssa Suomeen. Ennen sitä hetkeä olin perheestämme ainoa, joka oli aiemmin asunut Suomessa. Mieheni on hollantilainen ja kolme lastamme ovat syntyneet ja kasvaneet Alankomaissa. Alankomaissa lapsemme olivat tottuneita koululaisia, sillä kaikki aloittavat koulunsa 4-vuotissyntymäpäivänään. Suomeen meidät toi monien asioiden summa, eikä suomalainen peruskoulu ollut niistä vähäisin. Koska ennen muuttoa olin kasvattanut lapsiani vain Suomen ulkopuolella, monet asiat olivat minulle uusia: ulkohousut, ekaluokkalaisen älypuhelin, lasten itsenäisyys pienestä pitäen. Ihailin sitä, kuinka Suomessa 6-vuotias saattoi hoitaa aamutoimet itsenäisesti ja kulkea koulumatkan yksin molempiin suuntiin. Kesällä löysimme sopivan kodin pääkaupunkiseudulta ja asetuimme taloksi. Lapset menivät väliaikaisen koulun jälkeen uuteen kouluun aivan kodin naapurissa. Koska lapsemme ovat joutuneet tottumaan muuttomme vuoksi isoihin muutoksiin, varsinkin keski...