Part III: Me
Looking on the bright side.
Photo: Kristian Kearins
Part III: Me
I know you didn’t ask for this one, but I’m giving it to you anyway.
That sounds oddly like something I’d say six months ago to any one of my buddies at the bar as we ventured into another late night among the depths and uncertainty of 2020.
But six months ago — today — was the last time I drank at all. So now I’m just saying that to prepare you for an unsolicited update about me since you just got one for each of the kids.
Back to the not drinking bit — it was an easy decision and probably long overdue. A mix of variables led to too much of it too often and it started to affect my productivity, creativity, and even some relationships.
With regards to the kids, I’ve never even mentioned it to them directly, but I’m sure that beyond me not ordering three or four beers at dinner, they notice that I’m more present, less irritable, and generally in a better mood even though I have way more on my plate than ever before.
Since we lost Dorthe, obviously a lot has changed and it’s been hard to move forward — but to put things plainly, my main goal has been to simplify our family life so that we can all focus on what we want, which is, well, happiness.
The outpouring of support right after her passing was truly amazing. But having gone through tragic and unexpected deaths before — my dad when I was really young and my little sister around 10 years ago — I know that ultimately you need to be able to handle the fallout and the future struggles on your own.
For us now, that meant that I needed a live/work situation that took into account me having the kids all the time.
So we decided to take over the small apartment above the COAST shop and my studio which now allows me to work while the kids are right above me. The space is definitely small, but we purged a lot, and I did a one month renovation to make it pretty efficient. The kids actually really love it. And I do, too. If Dorthe’s looking down, she’d probably say, “ah, hvor hyggeligt” (how cozy).
With our cozy and functional space complete, we’re starting to get into a “normal” routine which is finally allowing me to start in on some creative projects that I’ve been missing for too long.
So stay tuned.