2022

2022, a very mixed year! When the autumn of 2021 came I was SO READY to get back to work, and I enjoyed those autumn months immensely, both work and my social life suddenly coming back to me. But then ... in the spring of 2022, I was back in a funk! It was like I had gotten stuck in the nothingness of the pandemic. I had my choirs, of course, and a few other fun gigs. I also took a masters level musicology course while trying to finish my bachelor's thesis, and fell into a deep, deep hole of procrastination. Looking back at the first six months of 2022 it’s mostly a grey fog of procrastination - wanting to do more, but lacking motivation, energy, dedication. But there were certainly bright, warm moments of love and joy.

That grey fog, feeling stuck, is what made me apply for and then accept a temporary singing teacher job at a music high school in the city for the autumn semester (substituting for a teacher on parental leave). It was very intense - keeping up with my freelance life with running two choirs, several wedding shoots to deliver and a few other gigs, while teaching music four long days per week - phew. I loved the students and my colleagues, but I was working too much to enjoy it as much as I would have wanted to. I would never have applied, of course, had it been a permanent position, but I figured that one semester of doing a lot would kick me out of the funk I’d been in. And in a way I guess that was true - it was just that I got too busy to also do the things that sustain me and recharge my batteries. Friends, nature, art, my own music - all of it had to be put on the back burner for a few months.

All in all, 2022 wasn't my best year, but I learned a lot. And as always, doing this yearly summary is like a soothing balm for me. It reminds me of all the beautiful colourful bits that happened, all the humans I love; things that might have otherwise remained hidden under layers of procrastination and stress. I'm taking it all with me into 2023.

Best trip of the year:






18 days in the UK! Omg, what a dream roadtrip. It was everything I wished for during the pandemic, and more. Too many blog posts to link them all, but here's London and Chester and Edinburgh just for a little taste.


Honorary mention for the week Liam and I (and Anna, who visited) spent at my parents' cottage in Bohuslän. There's nothing quite like that week for recharging.

Best daytrips/ outings of the year:


Daytrip (which turned into evening at my favourite pizza place and then night on our balcony) to a beach in Halland with Liam, Tove and Karin


A trip to Norra Kvill National Park


Daytrip in the northern part of Gotland

Best party of the year:


2021-2022 New Year's Party (I feel like that counts as 2022, because the best part of a party is always after midnight)

What was your greatest success workwise?
I survived a semester of working more than full time!


Also, I feel like I'm better than ever at shooting weddings, which is really nice.

Which gig was the most fun?


The Sky is Crying at Hülly Blues in September! Gosh I love singing with these guys.

Hobby of the year:










BEING OUTSIDE. I love being outside more and more every year, it feels like. Especially with friends. Walks, fika, swimming, more walks, sometimes a longer hike and sleeping outside ... It's been so good for me. And in 2023 I want even more of it.

Project of the year:


The gallery wall!

Which music did you listen to?
Symbio, Kate Rusby, Henrik Lindstrand, and the Encanto soundtrack. Also, Hanson got a renewal after the gig in June.

Three songs of the year:
Jamie Cullum: How Do You Fly?
Cory Wong feat. Cody Fry: Golden
Symbio: Hiraeth

Best film you watched for the first time?


Encanto!

Any new national parks visited?
Three!


Northumberland


Lake District


Norra Kvill

Any new mountain huts visited?
Sadly, no. I cancelled my planned hike in the mountain due to excessive crying (PMS is no joke, although, obviously I didn't know that that's what it was until after). Next year!

Which clothes did you wear?
Same as last year. I was very bored with everything I own this year and too stressed and uninspired to find anything new.

Were you happier or less happy this year compared to before?


Less happy than the second half of 2021, but still better than the pandemic years.

What made you feel good this year?




Going to concerts and shows!!! Everything from seeing Hanson at Pustervik with Anna in June - SUCH a fun experience - to Brahms's Requiem and fire shows and operas. I'm so excited to go to more concerts in 2023.

What made you sad this year?
War, famine, opression and the continued normalisation of right-wing extremism, not least in Sweden.

Best buy this year:


Maybe our Christmas tree, it's the prettiest ever and brought me so much joy.

How did you celebrate your birthday?


Had a little party here at home. It was lovely!

What do you want to do next year that you didn't do this year?


I hope and wish for a year of something in between - I want to be active, but not as frantic as I was last semester; I want to rest and take care of myself, but not feel as lost and paralysed as I did in the spring of 2022. I want to enjoy my work and my free time, I want to move my body and spend quality time with friends, family and Liam. I finally have the ability to create the balance that I completely lacked in 2022 (first having too little to do, then too much). It will take work and change to achieve that balance, and I’m here for it!

Also, I didn't do any hiking in the mountains this year and my heart yearns for it.

What was the best thing about 2022?




Liam, our relationship, all the time we spent together, falling asleep together every night, and the home we share. His support has been unwavering. He's it, people; I found my person.