Tranquility

There was nothing like it. There had never been anything like it. It was home to her, and it was where she wanted to go during every day of the year. However, she only got to go during the summer months, once every other year. This was the only thing about Sweden that she did not like, the fact that she got to go there so little. It was expensive to go, and she knew that, but she just couldn’t help but be drawn to its beauty. There was just something about the beauty and tranquility of her mother’s home town that caused her to fall in love with Dala Floda.
Flying on the plane, on her way to Sweden, she just couldn’t wait to get there and hear the familiar, “Hej, Hej!!” and “Hej pa dej!!” from her cousins, aunt and uncle, and grandparents as they arrive. The hugs and love that her extended family shows them is so great that it increases her want to stay forever, but her travels are not over yet, because she knows that she still has the three hour drive from the airport to Dala Floda. On the way there, she stops at a familiar place, a gas station. For some reason, this one gas station is very important to her, and she remembers all of the different times she has stopped to stretched out there, closer now than before to her destination. The familiar ching of the cash register and the smiles on the clerk’s faces warm her like the hot dog she is clutching in her hands, ready to eat.
Finally, when she arrives, she is exhausted. She and her family have been traveling for over twenty-four hours, and she is very sluggish. However, she wills herself to stay up just a little bit longer so that she can greet the rest of her family, and “fika lite” with a midnight snack, before she trudges up the stairs and goes to bed.
In the morning, she slowly opens her eyes to the sights and smells of Sweden, filling her senses with joy and relaxation. She could not be happier. The warm summer sun didn’t get a chance to set for more than an hour the night before, so it has already been up an out, warming the world around her. After eating her bowl of cereal with the fresh “jordgubbar och hallon” (strawberries and raspberries) from the yard outside, she decided that she wanted to go for a swim. So, she called her brothers to see if they would join her, and they agreed whole-heartedly.
Once in their swim wear, and with their towels, the three young adults headed for the lake, which was not even two minutes away from their home. The barefooted people walked slowly down the old, paved road to the lake, passing by the large big-horned sheep on their way. During their short journey, they also saw two small, furry “katter” (cats) playing with each other in the early morning light. Passing by all of the green, flourishing trees on their way, the three people who began the short journey to the lake had become more and more like children, remembering all of the different memories that they have had at this body of water.
Once they arrived at the lake, she took in a deep, slow breath, and let out a long sigh. The clear crystal water was so peaceful at this hour that the water was perfectly still, not a soul in sight to ripple the water. She and her brothers were the only ones who had woken up at that early hour to see the heat of the sun slowly warm up the crisp, cool water of the morning. Taking in another deep breath of the clear air, she memorized the scene around her, focusing on burning it into her mind forever. She knew that one day she wouldn’t return to this peaceful, tranquil place that she loved. She wanted so bad to stay there forever and always experience this type of relaxation and love that she felt when she came to Dala Floda. However, she knew that she would eventually have to go home, back to real life, and back to her senior year in High School. For now though, she figured she could enjoy the time in Sweden that she had while she could. With that knowledge, she took one last look around her at the now rippled water, and followed her brothers into the frigid lake, warming slowly by the bright orange morning sun.