Fika with the sun
Our relationships with non-human beings are underemphasised. From the age of 5-6 and until I was in my mid-teens I lived in an area with very few humans in proximity. It was important for me to nurture connections with non-human beings, to develop trust in them and respect towards them. This led me to question the notion of being alone. One is always in the world with others, humans and non-humans. Sometimes I use expressions such as "on my own", "by myself" and "alone" when I'm not with other humans, but I don't think these expressions capture the sense of community that is retained even in such situations. In fact, they obscure the presence of non-human others. Earlier in my life I felt that it would sound strange if I decline an invitation to some event because I wanted to spend time with the sea, the sun, the trees. These days, I feel more comfortable saying exactly these things. Reactions are of course diverse. Some interpret this as a need for some alone time, others find it odd. Yet others deeply relate to this feeling. After a week of meetings, I came to the empty office to write and have fika with the sun.