Flaws And All

Lately I've been bombarded with posts and videos everywhere challenging my perception of beauty. I often feel like certain things are highlighted in certain seasons, so that we are able to grab hold of what we should be growing in. If you're a guy reading this, don't give up just yet, thinking this is for girls only. You actually play a huge role in this subject and I would love to invite you to see things "from the other side". 

Women have grown angry and disappointed with, what should be the society we live in, but ends up being ourselves. As I've shared before, I've come a long way from the 16 year old girl who pretty much hated herself. I've also thought that my perception of beauty has been pretty good, accepting all shapes and forms, flaws and all. Until I stumbled upon an angry woman's post (or rant) on how much she hates the whole "flaws and all" trash talk. It's definitely visible everywhere, from shampoo adds to fashion magazines, and I've thought it's a great first step towards a less repressive view on beauty. But that one angry post showed me how closed eyed I've been and how it's really more like a teeny tiny baby step. Accepting our flaws is great, but the truth is that it leaves us at a very superficial level of confidence. By doing that, we accept with it that there's still some utopian beauty standard that we fall short of (hence flaws). Looking at the situation as it is, with hundreds, probably even thousands of years of history where women have been pressured to fit some kind of mould/trend of the season, it's easy to withdraw to a defeated shrug. But that's not us, am I right?

For women to actually become completely free in this area, we have to attack the very root of why almost all of us have battled thoughts of feeling ugly, fat, disgusting, fill in the blank... All our lives we've been fed a certain image in movies, magazines, tv, commercials, setting up a standard for the beauty we need to possess. Sadly, I remember vividly how as a young girl I absorbed those images, making me a believer of "that's what I want to be (look like) when I grow up". One of the shocking articles I stumbled upon was an interview of several Brazilian women and girls, who've undergone plastic surgery, most of them at the early ages of 15-18 years old, because everyone does it and if you don't, basically, you're not a woman. It made my stomach do a backflip and I saw this vivid image of women around the world, obsessing about their looks, spending endless amounts of time and resources to fit whatever standard is the hottest at the moment, while men focus on their careers, enjoying life and pursuing their passions. 

This is a subject that I have to come back to probably multiple times because of its magnitude, but I want to leave you today with a few questions. Who defines your beauty? The "media king", aka businessmen making a crap load of money off of your insecurities? The men in your life? The women around you? Who have you given the power to declare whether what you look like is good or bad? 

We are powerful. We are beautiful. And we possess the strength to set up a new standard of beauty that says that our chubby thighs or skinny legs, our cellulite and stretch marks, our small boobs or flat butt, our bouncy belly and short legs are not flaws. They are all parts of our beautifully and flawlessly created bodies and it's about time we started celebrating them! Maybe then we'll have the time to put our efforts into making history. 

Are you with me?

xxx

Photos by Anna Laulumaa <3

T-Shirt: Sincerely Jules

Jeans: Topshop

Booties: Acne

Sweater: Zara

Sunglasses: RayBan

Music Mondays

You know that state of being so in love that nothing even matters? You spill that milk and just giggle at how clumsy you are, you trip on those stairs and can't stop laughing at how funny you must have looked, someone runs into you spilling coffee all over but you just see the smiley face it created on your shirt. Birds sing the most beautiful harmonies and trees dance to their melodies. Some call it euphoria, some a state of complete foolishness. I've come to the conclusion that it's meant to be tour norm. We have been created for love. By love, to be loved and to love. If that space in our hearts isn't filled with love, we will try to compensate the deficiency with anything we can find. That's where unhealthy habits, addictions and codependency kick in. No things, no wealth or success and no human can fill that place. It's something greater than all of us. It's not of this world. It's too good to be true. We must first receive that love to able to give it away. We often try to achieve it the other way around, but it doesn't work that way. You can't give from what you don't have. That love is given us freely, but our part is to no longer fight it and open up to receive it. Just like a gift.

A combination of Lauryn's and D'Angelo's voices is what I would call heaven on earth. They flow together like sweet mountain brooks, refreshing my soul with every note. I come back to it frequently and it's still just as good after hearing it thousands of times like it was when I first heard it. It's not just the sounds, but the essence behind it, the vibe and white they're releasing with each word. So sit back and let this love song just take over. It's my gift to you today :)

xxx

Freedom

I still remember the first time I really heard about human trafficking. It was almost precicely three years ago just before we left California and were preparing to move back to Finland. Of course I had heard of human trafficking multiple times before. Stories about children being sold to the pleasure of greedy tourists somewhere in Asia, people being scammed into slavery through false promises of a better living somewhere abroad... But it wasn't until I heard a visiting speaker at our school talking about the subject that something changed in me towards it. Her name was Erica Greve, the Founder and CEO of an anti-human trafficking organisation called Unlikely Heroes. She laid bare the cruel facts, 27 million slaves (more than double the number of Africans enslaved during the trans-atlantic slave trade), nearly half of them children, making it the 2nd most lucrative crime in the world and still growing. But she didn't leave us in the state of depression those kind of facts can generate. Instead she shared what they had accomplished around the world through their organisation and challenged us to open up our eyes and see that we all can do something. And if we all do, we can actually change the course of history, just like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King had done before us. In the end she challenged us with a question. Most of us have read in our history books about the sickening events of WWII and its mass murders of Jews and how not too long ago our society regarded slavery as a norm. Reading about these things makes us ponder how could anyone allow something so detestable take place and contemplate why only a few dared to oppose what was going on around them. Erica asked us, will you be one of those people just watching silently from the side, or will you join those who dare to make a differencet?

That question changed me. It resonated with something much deeper inside of me and I knew I couldn't just walk away and forget all about it. In that moment I made a decision that I will never again be just a bystander. The fact that I had this revelation just before we were leaving the US made me sad, because I didn't know of any similar organisations in Finland that I could join. But I knew that what happened was bigger than me and it would all work out just as its supposed to. So since I wasn't able to right away put in my time and sweat for the cause, I decided to support financially an organisation monthly until the time I might be able to do something more. Little did I know that around the same time of my epiphany, an anti-human trafficking organisation was being established here in Finland and after six months of being back in Finland I found my place as one of its members. V.A.L.O - ei orjuudelle (Light - no to slavery) is still a fairly new organisation, but we are crazy enough to dream big. This year we organised an event called Run For Freedom  for the second time in Helsinki, raising over 17000€ to fight human trafficking! I'm still in awe of how everything really worked out.

Our world is filled with problems to be solved and people to be helped. At times it can get overwhelming hearing of all the cruelty happening all across this planet and the truth is, you can't change it all by yourself. The beauty of our uniqueness is that we can all find our own place and calling and pour ourselves into the things that resonate with us. Maybe you're passionate about the preservation of rain forests and wildlife. Maybe you want to fight for everyones right to receive an education or you dream about finding a cure for cancer. At the moment it might seem like there's not much you can do and all the doors appear to be shut, but as I've had the privilege to experience first hand, when we're faithful with the little, we will get the chance to be part of the bigger. All you need to do is follow that passion and not let hopelessness quench your fire. Yes, there are more slaves now than ever, but there are also more people on this planet than ever before and I believe that as the rest of us who live in freedom unite to fight for those who can't fight for themselves, we will change the world. 

So the question I want to leave you with today is: Will you be one of those people just watching silently from the side, or will you join those who dare to make a difference?

xxx

Photos by Adriana Dobrin

Denim Jacket: BikBok

Jeans: Zara

Shoes: Vans

Tote: Run For Freedom

Music Mondays

I'm not sure if I've shared this with you before, but my name means literally Summer Winds (plural). Growing up, tangled in my identity crisis, I wanted to change my name and didn't feel like it was my own. Now that I'm over those shenanigans I know my mother couldn't have picked a better name (thanks mum <3). Everyone who knows me, knows my deep affection towards the warmth and brightness of our invigorating Sun. In other words, Finlands cold climate is not really my preference. In all honesty, I'm waiting for the day we pack our bags once again and move to a place that resonates with the song in my heart (and that's somewhere warm and beautiful). But until that day, I've gathered all kinds of tools and inspiration how to survive through the coldest and darkest months and how not to get depressed when it's almost end of May and the temperature hasn't hit even close to twenty celsius. 

This song is one of my cures. First of all it makes me think of L.A. beaches with their white sand and tall palm trees, thanks to Baywatch, but it's also just one heck of an uplifting song! I think the beginning and end of the song, with the dreamy synth sounds and demanding drums, are what made me really fall in love with it. The piano patterns are pretty dope as well... Whether or not you're a fan of classic rock, I'll suggest you still turn this song up, close you're eyes, and sing to it at the top of your voice.

"Some people stand in the darkness,

afraid to step into the light..."

Go on! You'll figure out why it's one of my top ten gloomy weather (or life) remedies ;)

xxx

High and Low

The older I get, the more I realise how much life is about layers and seasons. When I turned eighteen I thought I had arrived (lol), when I was twenty-one I realised what a baby I was at eighteen, but definitely was so much further now (haha). Now, at twenty-five, I feel like stepping back into kids shoes again. Sure, I've walked through some rough terrains, build some muscle along the way and I'm more at peace now than ever in my life, but life has no cap for the amount we can grow. So unless we're able to keep the attitude of a child, mesmerised by life and willing to humbly receive teaching and guidance, we will miss out on the glory reserved for us. 

That's really where I've been this week. I've had some pretty major frustration with why certain things seem so ridiculously hard to get over, like I'm bumping my head on that same brick wall over and over again. Actually walking into one of those really clean sliding doors, thinking that it's open when it's not, is the perfect image of how I've felt. Then a good friend sent me a speech that was exactly what I needed to hear with the speaker saying:

 "When you climb mountains you can't jump from one peak to another. You have to go down low, back to the valley, to be able to move on to the next one."

 First of all, I love how this goes so well with my dearly beloved mountain metaphors. But all in all it was exactly what I needed to be reminded of. I can't even count how many times I've gone through the thought process of "Oh now I got this/I've mastered this/I've conquered this", thinking the learning was over and I had graduated. When in reality I only graduated level one, pushing me into the oh so unfamiliar level two where I once again have to face the fact that I'm back to being a newbie. At times it's frustrating. It feels hard. It's humbling...yes, it's very humbling. But it's what keeps me grounded, building the strength and stamina that I need for longevity and staying persistent.  It's the humbleness that keeps me from trying to push through any closed door, but instead be patient and focus on what I really need to work on, my heart.

We'll never "arrive". If you think you have, my friend, you are missing out on a whole lot! Even when you reach that dream of yours, however big and wonderful it is, you'll gaze your eyes on the next mountain peak and start the journey all over again. Somewhere along the way we'll realise the importance and value of the low valley seasons and we'll also be able to move through them much quicker when we're not dragging our heels the whole way. Life won't only be enjoyable for the moments were basking in success, but even the lowest seasons will become gems in our crowns.

xxx

Photos by Eino Manner

Romper: Vintage

Shirt: COS

Trench Coat: TopShop

Kneesocks: BikBok

Booties: Zara

Bag: Michael Kors

Sunglasses: Michael Kors

Music Mondays

I've almost posted this song so many times that I'm not sure anymore whether I have or not...but this is a piece that's well worth posting twice. I love instrumental music, especially when I need to concentrate on something intensely. Lonnie Liston-Smith's "A Garden of Peace" is capturing in all its simplicity. It's one of those songs that doesn't dazzle with complex melodies or chord patterns, but rather draws the listener in with its every note, inviting them to hear the story behind it. I find instrumental music fascinating also, because it lets the listener create their own version of the story. I think everyone can feel inspired by this music, even if it's just unwinding the day to its tunes and placing the events of the day into its melody.

I hope you're having a wonderful week and can bring some peace and calm to it with this beautiful piece of music.

xxx

Spring Storms

A few days ago, as I was sitting in our sauna contemplating the day and past week (sauna's are a norm in Finland - we have five million inhabitants and three million saunas) and I felt a heaviness come upon me. A few things felt so overwhelming that it was difficult to fight off anxiety and the deeper my thoughts fell into that pit of problems and issues before me, the lower my mood sank. These were things that I didn't have control of and every time I tried to think of actions on my part, I realised it would end up with me trying to take over things that weren't mine to control. As I stepped into the cooling shower I had a flashback of an incredible story where curses were turned into abundant blessings and I remembered the words of someone wiser than me saying that all our opposition is only there to strengthen, heal and bring growth to our lives. So instead of going down that never-ending spiral staircase, I took hold of what I was able to control, my mind! I began to declare the opposite of my depressing thoughts and say out loud the things I was hoping to take place instead. It might sound a tad crazy or like I chose denial, but the moment I changed my mindset, the heaviness lifted. I basically made the choice of either partnering with destruction or growth, darkness or light, and I chose the latter.  What happened was that like a cloud in front of my eyes was lifted and I was able to see clearly again. I remembered the moments in the past where I had felt hopeless and how even the toughest battles in my life have led to bountiful harvests.

Denying a problem never leads to freedom. But looking at an issue face to face and deciding that it won't take me down but will turn into diamonds, no matter how much pressure it will take, is going to set me up for the opportunity of growth and success. When our minds are focused only on the things that can go wrong, we end up missing the chances to turn things around for the good. I don't think positive thinking by itself is always enough, we need to have deeply rooted truths to carry us through the moments where faith is truly tested. No matter how hard we work, how right we do everything or how perfectly we live our lives, problems will arise. None of our actions are going to change that fact. But what does change, is our capability to face them, harvest the gold hidden in those troubling times and ability to sustain our peace through any storm to the extend, that we'll be able to expand that peace to calm those raging winds. In the end we'll maybe be able to see every problem for what they really are...well camouflaged upgrades.

xxx

Photos by Adriana Dobrin

Sweater: Urban Outfitters

Printed Pants: Zara

Sneakers: Nike Air Max

Music Mondays

Todays tune is one of those that will live forever. It's an incredibly inspiring piece of art by itself, but I chose it because this video is such a great representation of the power of music. The song has it's own music video (watch it here), but I had to share this famous clip that is modestly remember as one of the greatest and most influential moments in the history of television. The dramatic and dreamlike filming combined with the rich colours that using actual film creates (even though digital filming has it's obvious perks, I'll always enjoy the softness of the old school method) are fascinating, but it's the music on the background that really makes this scene unforgettable. Can't you just feel that warm wind in your face as the chords smoothly change and the intensity in the atmosphere as the drums kick in? That's the power of music.

xxx