Getting a break in Tampere

The days went by as I cycled along the E12, a one track highway with a speed limit. It wasn’t the most scenic road so far and to be honest, my whole mood was just like the passing cars, in a hurry. I was rushing to get somewhere and somehow always felt pressured to not have gotten far enough each day. Which is total nonsense if you think about it, since I don’t have any fixed dates, but still I felt pressured and too slow. Along with the road that sucked to drive (that I have chosen to be in Tampere faster, but why???), some parts of my bike got worn out. At some point half of the gears didn’t work properly, the chain was slipping under too much pressure and ultimately the hub (the part connecting the cassette with the rear wheel) broke, making it impossible to ride any further.

When I couldn’t go any further, it were around 50km to Tampere and I was forced to get creative. At this time, I’ve left the road already and followed the railroad tracks in the forest like countryside and was thus not in a huge rush anymore. I’ve even seen a moose the day before and lightened up just by not seeing and hearing any cars. Being forced to such a break at this point in my travel was rather a gift than an obstacle. I was kind of glad to not having to go as fast as I can. Yet, I still found myself in the middle of nowhere, having to manage to either get my bike repaired on a Sunday (highly unlikely) or to get to Tampere somehow (slightly more likely, but still not easy). Breath in, breath out, push the bike up the hill, I just joyfully rolled down. There were two men I asked for any way to get to the city, but here occurred for the very first time the problem of not understanding each other at all. Luckily, Jarmo was the savior of my day. He was called, since he spoke English, but his help didn’t end there. He packed me and my bike in his Van and drove me all the way to my home for the next days. In Tampere I was blissed by the opportunity to stay with Björre, a relative of my stepdad. So I had the time and space to come to rest, either in the sauna, on the couch, my bed, wherever. When I had a few hours for myself, I started to feel the pressure in my ears, my thoughts running and me still being in a rush. I really struggled to relax, but I used the time given to sort out and look at my thoughts. Thus, hour by hour, day by day, my mind accepted my invitation to chill out.

It was this view that had me arriving in the here and now again. The moment I could feel the pressure drop was so precious, I hope to always remember it when being in a rush again. I guess in the last week I’ve learned the same lesson, I’ve learned so often already and yet it is always a pleasure over again. Be present, there is nowhere to be but here and now. Thanks for the reminder! Now, having a rest since Monday feels really nice. I’ve had pancakes for breakfast every morning, had lots of ice cream and could fix and replace nearly every faulty part of my bike, with the help of Lauri and Jojo in the very recommendable bike shop “Keskiö”. Working on my bike for around two hours while having a chat and just hanging out with friendly people for once was remedy for my soul, thanks a lot guys! My next destination will be Helsinki, but I hope to think about being there when I arrive in the city, not any time earlier.

This being said, whatever you do right now, take a minute or two to just breathe in, breathe out and be present. Be grateful for what you have, not sad about what you lack and remember that everything is going to be fine, no matter what <3