Friendships and phases of life — Being in a group of friends with different jobs, interests, opinions, and lifestyles than you broaden your perspective. Two weeks ago, I went to a birthday party with a group of friends I hadn’t seen for a couple of years. …

All you need is a dog in your corner — A month ago, I lost my dog, Sofus. He has been my writing companion for 14 years. A friend of mine sent me this quote. It says it all. “Don’t cry, Laura,” Pa said. “He has gone to the Happy Hunting Grounds.” “Truly, Pa?” Laura managed to ask. “Good dogs…

A tip from Mrs. Nelly Dean to you — I just finished rereading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and again, I realized how my life is revolved around philosophy and fiction from the 19th century. In Wuthering Heights, the housekeeper Ms. Nelly says to Mr. Lockwood, Heathcliff’s tenant: “A person who has not done half his day’s work by…

One sentence made me think of my collection of everyday miracles — No gasp a miracle that is truly miraculous because the magic lies in the fact that you knew it was there for you all along. — Toni Morrison, ‘Beloved’ I feel the touch of magic: when I find the perfect book to read. When I spend time with my niece…

Celebrating my parents’ 41 anniversary — Yesterday we celebrated my parents’ 41 anniversary. I wonder if I will ever make that kind of commitment to anyone or anything in my life? My parents met two weeks before my dad went to Canada for work. …

Music is a gift for productivity — I had just moved to New York when one of my new friends asked me to go to an outdoor classical music concert in Central Park with him. It was a magical summer night, and we listened to the music with the colorful sunset in the background. …

– Greg McKeown — I want things to be effortless in 2022: my work, writing, finances, and relationships with others. After reading Effortless — Make it easier to do what matters most by Greg McKeown, I realized I needed to let go of my bad habits and not be such a time optimist. …

– Virginia Woolf — When I decluttered my old bag the other day, I found my business card. I still remember the quote I put on it by Virginia Woolf: Fiction is like a spider’s web, attached ever so lightly perhaps, but still attached to life at all four corners. – Virginia Woolf, Room…

Thank you🙏 — It’s almost Thanksgiving. Even though it’s not a holiday we celebrate in Scandinavia, I did celebrate it with my American friends when I lived in the States. Nowadays, Thanksgiving reminds me to reflect on what I have been thankful for the past year. …

Lessons Learned — Years back, I gave an interview about how philosophy and literature should play a bigger role in our money-focused society. When I saw my interview in print, I felt misunderstood by the journalist. Unfortunately, the interview also made some people angry, and they weren’t afraid to show it on social…

The magic of fall — My favorite season is fall. October is a beauty dressed up in a color palette of brown, orange, and all kinds of yellow and red-colored leaves you can imagine. It’s the month where nature holds a big celebration of life before the cold and dark winter arrives. In Ohio seasons…

We are all writing our own stories — I am in Copenhagen for work. Across the street from my hotel, there is an office building. From my window, I observe a man about my age. He checks in at 8 am and rarely leaves until after 8 pm. …

One by one — Every week we are busy doing everyday duties and other things we think are important. It can be hard to make ends meet, and therefore I find inspiration in how Laura Ingalls’ Ma structured her week: Each day had its own proper work. Ma used to say: “Wash on Monday, …

“To be a person is to have a story to tell.” — Isak Dinesen — I became a writer because I want to document my journey with literature and Kierkegaard’s existential philosophy. I can see myself as a woman cut up in a romantic fantasy in Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. My existential dilemmas often reflect the aesthetic man Johannes and the ethical judge Vilhelm in Kierkegaard’s…

Magic is all around you — You never know what the day has in store for you. Yesterday wasn’t that different from other days. After my writing session, I read Kierkegaard’s book ‘Repetition’. His stories made me wonder if a repetition of a wonderful experience is possible. …

A personal science project called ‘Working Smarter, Not Harder’ — A couple of years ago, I started my little science project called ‘Working Smarter, Not Harder’. I wanted to get my spark back and find the methods and routines that work for me. Since I was a young girl, I have been dreaming of getting a contract with a big…

‘The Seducer’s Diary’ gives you romance and life lessons — Poetic storytelling about how different characters handle love and life never lose their magic in this digital world. At times I was like a stranger to him; at times he surrendered completely. Then when I threw my arms around him, everything changed, and I embraced a cloud. …

You are the editor-in-chief of your life, but that freedom requires you to be accountable for your own life and the choices you make. In The Works of Love (1847), Kierkegaard (1813–1855) says: “Love builds up by presupposing that love is fundamentally present.” When you meet another person from a…

Writing is my oxygen. Whenever people ask my family if I can actually make money being a writer, my mum’s answer is: “Last I checked, my daughter is still breathing and writing, so yes, I suppose she can make her living by being a writer.” I love to escape into…