This week’s questions at f.riday5.com

1. What makes you feel pleasantly young?

So I always feel young! I never feel old or even middle-aged… is that weird? I’m always surprised when I remember that my age starts now with “4-something”. And this year I get to be surprised every time I realize that on my next birthday I’ll be 50! 😯 😀 

Inside myself, I always just feel the same way I felt when I was 16. Although I recognize I’ve changed and matured in many respects, in many ways I still just feel just the same as when I was 16, 18 or 25 or whatever.

2. What makes you feel pleasantly, uh, seasoned?

That I can see many sides to issues, and everything is not black & white. I used to be very black & white person about the things that mattered to me.

When I realize 1995 was 30 years ago – I always feel it was just a few years ago!

Whenever I realize I’m so much more comfortable in my own skin now than I was before my mid-30s.

3. What makes you feel optimistic?

Marin’s government (the previous government) made be feel optimistic because of its left-leaning politics and policies. I felt like the poor, the sick and the unemployed (meaning: people like me!) were seen as people and persons in their own right and that human rights belong to us too. And that Finland had a good future ahead of us. All that went away with Orpo’s government 👿

Star Trek TNG (and 1960-1990s Star Trek in general!) makes me feel optimistic. In recent years I’ve realized I’ve based my human values and vision for the future very much on how humanity and Federation is portrayed in TNG.

4. What makes you feel competent?

Lately it’s been realizing my reading comprehension is a lot better than many other people’s, particularly when it comes to bureaucratic texts such as KELA’s decisions letters. So many people post asking “I got this decision from KELA. I don’t understand what it says – what does it mean?” but to me the text they are puzzled about is crystal clear, just formulated in a bureaucratic way.

I think it’s because I read so much and always have, and I have my parents, particularly my Mom, to thank for this! It makes life much easier. I read in several genres, both fiction and non-fiction, and in Finnish and English. And I write myself too, I bet that helps as well.

Few years ago, KELA had a project to go through and re-word all their texts in a less bureaucratic manner. I’m not sure how well it worked – I personally think that now it takes longer to get to the actual decision (yes or no) in some of their decision letters, but it could be that I’m still used to the old format due to having had to deal with that for literally over 20 years.

5. What makes you happy to be alive?

Whenever I hear great music, read an interesting book or a fic, and when I do crafts or art (particularly physical – not in Photoshop) myself. And of course, being with my Mom or best friend!