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The song of the Siberian Jay
Summer has officially turned into autumn now in Finnish Lapland. You can feel it in the air as you step outside in the morning and feel the fresh, cool air diving through your lungs. As the temperature has dropped for the night, the early mornings here are often met by a mystical fog covering the surrounding landscapes. The early hours of the day come with an atmosphere that’s almost magical. It is as if you walking through a dream.
The winter might be knocking on the door, but that doesn’t mean the autumn would by any means fail to keep up with its beauty. You can’t help noticing this as you pass the swans floating on the remote wilderness lake, having a final rest before it’s time for their annual migration to warmer temperatures. Or when you see the two majestic moose on the edge of the forest though the morning mist. The colours of the autumn foliage rule the landscape. Not only are the colours of the fall visible in the trees and the moss covering the ground but also as reflection on the thousands of open waters of Lapland. When witnessing all this on a chilly autumn day, it’s easy to love life.
And us Finns, we do love our life here in the North. According the 2019 World Happiness Record, Finland is the happiest country in the world. For us happiness is found from, well, everywhere. It’s in the feeling of safety and freedom. It’s in the remarkable silence around is. It’s in the clean air and waters, in the gorgeous forests and valleys of our country. But in the end it’s in the small moments in life. In those memorable encounters with the moose and the swans. In the thrilling moment when the chubby trout finds the lure meant for it on a late evening fishing trip. In the fresh coffee brewed by an open fire. When you don’t take the nature around you for granted and remember to value all the small miracles taking place around you throughout the day, happiness becomes a normal state of mind.
In Finland, our happiest memories are often intertwined together with the nature. I’d like to invite you to walk with me as I trace my memories back to one of the happiest moments of my adulthood.
I woke up in an autumn morning from my log cabin by a lake side, made a bonfire outside and brewed some fresh coffee by the fire. Whilst sipping the delicious coffee in the friendly smoke of the fire, two of my friends landed on the bench next to me. These Siberian Jays had accompanied me for my morning coffee already for months at that point, always ready to collect the bread I had reserved for them. Singing happily, they would sit on my hand enjoying their breakfast. This combined to the tarry scent of the smoke coming from the bonfire, the beautiful autumn foliage surrounding the lake and the ancient legend telling that an encounter with a Siberian Jay would bring you good luck, I still remember this moment as one of the happiest of my life.
For us Finns, the happiness is not in the fortunes, in the fancy cars or the bright diamonds. It’s in the small, precious moments of life. All we have to do is to simply remember to enjoy those moments, to find the time to hear the song of the Siberian Jay.
Book your autumn holiday from Apukka Resort and see the sources of the happiness of the Finns yourself! Have a look at our special autumn packages from here.