DARE TO DREAM | Manifesting Journal

Christmas

This winter, I planned to get a new ski suit, and it arrived just before the Christmas holidays. It fits perfectly. My ski gear includes the new suit, a merino wool base layer, and technical socks. I'll wear new black ankle-high boots until I switch to snowboarding boots.

My partner and I are heading to north on the night before Christmas Eve. We'll take the car train to north, which departs around midnight, and then drive from nearest bigger city to Ski Center the next morning. We get to travel on a brand-new train with modern sleeper cars. The train departs a little before midnight, and we'll arrive in the morning. Once the car is loaded onto the train, we move to our private sleeper cabin. We quickly fall asleep to the gentle, steady clattering of the train. The alarm goes off at 7 AM as the train approaches its destination. In the morning, I pull on my new  outfit because it's cold up in the north. We grab some breakfast and head towards the destination. We arrive before noon, and the center has a perfect Christmas atmosphere. We check in and later, after ordering room service, we head to the slopes for some snowboarding. The next day, we repeat the same routine. After breakfast, we hit the slopes again and snowboard until late afternoon when the cold, fatigue, and hunger force us to stop. After eating, we alternate between ice swimming and the hot tub. By the end of the day, we feel blissfully exhausted and fall asleep immediately.

Next is Christmas Eve morning, and we start the day slowly. We have breakfast, watch a Christmas movie, and fall asleep together on the couch. Later, we decide to hit the slopes for a couple of hours and also go on a two-hour snowmobile safari. In the evening, we enjoy ice swimming, the hot tub, and the sauna before having Christmas dinner at the hotel's a la carte restaurant. We exchange gifts as well. After exchanging gifts and eating, we take a walk outside to admire the lit-up slopes in the snowfall before heading back to the penthouse. As we return to our room, the snowstorm intensifies, and we start watching a movie. The car is safely in the hotel's garage, so there's no need to clear it of snow after the storm. The movie doesn't last long before we both fall asleep.

When it's time to head back south, we pack up the car. Since the train doesn't leave until the evening, we spend some time exploring this skiresorts streets and shops. I buy a spare merino wool base layer, as I only have one, and also pick up a windproof jacket and insulated wind pants for layering. I load the shopping bags into the car's trunk and we head to the train station. With plenty of time, we explore this small town where the station is. After loading the car onto the train and with about an hour before departure, we decide to have coffee at the train station café. While sipping cocoa and latte, we ponder what a major life change it would be to suddenly move to this place or another small town. Once we've finished our drinks, we head to our sleeper cabin. We leave our outerwear and belongings, and head to the dining car for dinner. A chicken panini tastes great and then it's time to go to bed. The train is again local railway companys new modern night train with amazingly comfortable cabins. We even have our own bathroom, so we can brush our teeth in peace. The gentle, steady clatter of the train makes it easy to fall asleep again.

Sometimes your body just want to shut down and reload. This happened to me. Day or two when we arrived back home after christmas suddendly I come down with the flu on morning. For this reason, I always keep my medicine cabinet up to date so I don't have to go to the pharmacy when I'm sick. I update the sick leave notice in Google Workspace, drink plenty of fluids, take pain relievers and vitamins, and then go back to bed for a nap. I have a corporate health agreement with local private care. I like it because it's new, modern, bright, and has a fresh interior design and most of all it works better than municipal services. I like how everything works smoothly, even though it costs more than the normal municipal services. But because I need this healthcare so little, it's no big deal after all. After my nap, I book an online doctor's appointment in the app, get additional prescription medication to pick up at the pharmacy and a medical statement from my doctor. I even order the medicine delivered to my home. Since yesterday was the day to pick up the food bag, I don't need to go to the store and can rest at home. After another nap, I shower and head to the sauna. The steam sauna feels good and boosts my energy levels. I watch a movie half asleep and drink plenty of fluits. I also order a warm meal from delivery service, as I don't have the energy to cook anything myself. However, I'm still not feeling well the next day, and it's a relief that I don't have to go to the pharmacy separately. The flu lasts just under a week, and there are some minor lingering symptoms for another week.