I'm Back!

I'm back! Well, not that I mentioned going anywhere...Right after starting this little blog the doc told me "no typing for two weeks". Of course I laughed since that's what I do all day at my regular person job, but I agreed to cut back. Then I went with the hubby to Vegas for a week. He worked. I "worked". Basically, I stayed holed up in my sweet suite for 4 days straight and by the time we flew home I'd added 30 new pages to my novel! I'm calling it a novel these days. Used to just refer to it as "my story" but I decided it's time to take it seriously. And now I'm back at this. My brain is a little melty from being a Monday, my tummy is full after a delicious dinner (salmon w/cinnamon, ginger & soy with baked carrots!) and I've been running around with this re-write in my head for three days but I'm going to do a little of this first...And I'm going to watch The Voice! :)

So, I've been a little overwhelmed with the state of things lately. Maybe a little touchy since every time you turn around there is some politician or another stumping for themselves. I hate politics in this country. Really, honestly, hate them. I really have no one out there who represents me and I feel like most of the time we're stuck with someone who is corrupt and/or so out of touch with the real world that they'll never do much of what I agree with. The other side of the coin are those who are so very idealistic that they also fail to get anything done because they're views are so far to the other side that the other side can't move enough to even get to the middle. I hate the fact that we're a two party system (I don't care about tea baggers, we're still just two parties...) and there is nothing in the moderate middle for people like me. I certainly don't fit in with the Elephants: pro-choice, for women's reproductive control, for the life of me can't understand why people listen to a man on his fourth marriage explain why only "one man and one woman" should be allowed to get married. I also believe quite strongly that your religious beliefs are for your own personal life and have no business in my business. I also don't fit with the Donkeys: pro-death penalty, believe in the 2nd amendment, think there could and should be tighter reins on the federal welfare programs, and don't believe you can make the so-called "Obamacare" work as it has been written...My answer for all of this this weekend has been to move to Sweden.

I got myself so carried away about moving to Sweden that I started doing research on what is required to apply for a work visa. Not that my mom would ever let me move to Sweden but if I could, I think that is a country I would fit in with from what my reading has told me. One thing - they don't have 100 degree summers which I would love. I am not someone who would be upset at wearing sweaters year round and getting home bound by cold in the winter. I'm a little bit of a hermit as it is, and allergies have made the bloomy months always my least favorite. That and that I live in the desert and I hate anything above 75. A lot of my furnishings already come from Ikea, so I've got reading their instructions down. One site warned of having to get used to "fika" and after reading what fika is, I'm actually wondering how I've lived without it! "Fika" is a coffee break. Yep, according to our friend Wiki, Swedes consider coffee an important part of the day, and so do I, so I'm set. And I wouldn't object to their idea that your coffee break should include a cinnamon roll or some other sweet baked good either! Or the idea that you should do this more than once a day...

Their political system is considered to have one of the lowest corruption rates, their health care plan (yes, socialized medicine, but done better than the UK or Canada have figured out how to do it.) is one of the top rated health services plan in the world, and it's absolutely beautiful from what I've seen. I like their idea of a person's life not being lived around their work and their income and maybe this is in relation to how many hours my husband works at his job, which is one that is currently in high demand in Sweden! Yes, I advised him of that. Sweden has a high tax rate, which many in the US will be quick to point out, but with those taxes comes the health care, the education, the 5 weeks mandatory vacation time, multiple public transportation services, free college education and beautifully preserved public lands and air quality.

The greatest draw for me about Sweden is the idea of being in a secular country. We wouldn't be the only atheists in the room. :)  The idea of being in a country where religion is not a constant battle splitting the country in many directions seems almost unbelievable. The older I get, the more I see people try to use their personal religious beliefs to control the lives of the masses, the harder time I have not pushing back. We have laws in place regarding gay marriage that have no basis other than someones bible/pope/bishop/talking purple chicken said it is wrong. People decide they should be able to control women's reproductive decisions even though those women's choices in no way impact the person trying to control it. Their only fight on either of these issues is a religious fight that does not belong in the political arena. Period. But that will never be the mind set here and for those of us on the other side of that stand there is no way to explain how suffocating these political debates feel. To not have to face that would be amazing. And if you throw in fika it doesn't seem like life could get any better..If my mom ever lets me, I'm moving to Sweden.