The sun is shining in my face and colors everything orange. She shows herself. Not only the sun radiates, nature seems to have a particular shine herself at this place. Today, nature shows herself. She isn’t buried under a white blanket, as you’d expect in Finnish Lapland. She isn’t invisible, as she can be. Here, the sun plays with nature. She may show herself continuously, day and night, for weeks and so she dares not to show herself for weeks either. Day and night, pitch black. Seasons full of contrasts, but one thing dominates. Love for nature, and an incredible zest for life.

Today she is painting leafs and trees. With soft brush strokes she sweeps spots of red, yellow, green and orange on her canvas of Lapland. Pine trees rise up, as bodyguards of the earth. They take the heat in. They are crying out for some orange paint, or just some warmth. They feed on warmth until the white blanket of recognition covers Lapland. Winter. You may wonder, doesn’t it always freeze in Lapland? Is there more than white trees, feet shuffling through thick snow and crackling ice on the lakes? While I look out over a rippling river, while the sun is warming my face, I want to scream “Yes!”. Yes, there is more than snow in Lapland. At this point I don’t know Lapland any different, and it makes me hungry for more. I’m curious for the recognizable Lapland as well, with all its snow flakes – but here I see nature as she belongs to the Lappish people. Lapland revolves around flora and fauna and all that nature has to offer. It is amazing to see.

I am overwhelmed by a deep respect for nature. Touched by the way Lappish people deal with her. Faced with her strength. Nature does not punish, but works with consequences. Give and take. Here, people live with a deeply rooted respect for her. And most of all I feel the willpower to start living as pure as they do. In Lapland, people take 70% of their needs directly from nature. The water, the land, the forests and the animals are companions. It’s amazing how all creatures (unfortunately, except humans) can live in harmony, depending on each other and nature. Living here must be healing. The people here look years younger than they actually are. Healthy, glowing, bizarre cheerful. These days I’ll just join them. I see thousands of fish dance in the river. I wonder about the colors of the tress when I look up. I feel the reindeer before I even see him. I watch the reflection of the clouds in the water, and follow them floating away. Tranquility embraces me. I stare in the eyes of the husky with his blue eyes. I collect my own berries from nature. I listen to nature. Although I can’t see the Northern Lights because of the clouds, I feel grateful. I feel like Ronja Rövardotter, I feel smaller than a blade of grass, brighter than the sun, higher than to where the pine trees reach. I feel Sami. I can feel myself. One with nature.