During my quick reconnaissance mission to Hellasgården with a friend, I operated in one of two modes: either forgetting I should take a photo because I was that impressed by the scenery, or not being able to take a photo because an old naked man would be in the frame. I can say with absolute certainty that this is the first time in my life this situation has ever happened.
When I go back I definitely want to take photos and video, hopefully I will be able to find some testicle-free scenery to capture the absolute stunning beauty that is this place. It’s only about a 15 minute bus ride from the city (slussen t-bana) and when you arrive there’s this sense that you’ve just traveled hours in order to get there because the tranquility and just QUIET of the place is so immediate.
The smell of pine, of the earth, immense rocks bordering the clear and cold lake, and to top it off there’s even a gym and sauna. The sauna seems particularly inviting in the colder months because it leads right out to a floating dock that can jump off of into the cold water, perfect for the dark Scandinavian winter. The trails are marked for various distances, and I’m excited to go back and try a trail run or at least a good long hike. I have so many ideas of coming back here for picnics, swimming, sun bathing, and going to the sauna. It has the feeling of a remote Swedish resort but the fact that it’s just so close makes me feel like there are so many more places like this I have yet to discover.
I’ve missed a lot of moments I really wished I could capture with picture and video, but didn’t because of my own self consciousness. After the trip to Hellasgården my friend and I took our standard walk around gamla stan for ice cream and a coffee, and there were countless people with selfie sticks, taking video footage of seemingly nothing with incredible cameras, and just being flagrantly and apologetically into capturing that moment. It’s that kind of confidence I wish I had. I’ve been known to frequently shut off my camera and shove it into my bag the second I think someone is looking at me, maybe wondering why I’m video taping the buckets of crayfish at the supermarket. I think that my anxiety has a bad side effect of thinking that everyone is looking at me, judging me, when really I’m not more than a passing glance to 99.9999% of people out in public.
I really love Youtube, love vlogging, and love blogging. Blogging is easy because I can sit down and write whenever, wherever, whereas making videos requires a lot more planning and makes me come out of my comfort zone. I actually have to be out in the world, or worse, out in the world TALKING TO MYSELF in front of my own camera. I’ve committed myself to one video a week, and I hope I can keep up with that. Whether I get 1 view, or a million I want to document what I’m doing and be intentional in my experience here.
I have to be as confident as those naked men in Hellasgården. If they can show their balls to the world, surely I can talk to myself with a camera on a selfie stick in public.
I Will Learn To Love The Skies I'm Under 