Everyday Sisu

On a crisp autumn morning I stood on a wooden dock that juts out into the Baltic Sea in central Helsinki. Wearing only my bathing suit, I placed my towel and change of clothes onto one of the wooden tables as I chatted with my fellow cold-water swimmers about the weather, the water temperature (it's a brisk 9 degrees Celsius, 48.2 degrees Fahrenheit), and the state of world affairs during the coronavirus pandemic, which has dramatically changed the lives of so many people around the globe.

This day's dip into the sea was really just a dip, as I'm not a very good swimmer. But this simple morning routine has become one of the activities that make up part of my lifeline.

The fact that I was able to get myself to the dock, an easy five-minute walk from home, go for a dip, and talk with friends is little short of a miracle, or at least a 180-degree turnaround. For less than two months earlier, I was in a very different place-I was recovering from a serious depressive episode of burnout that left me so depleted that the mere idea of this morning's activities would have seemed impossible.

Yet here I was, basking in the rays of sunshine that seem like a precious commodity as we head toward the dark months of winter, when there will be only a few hours of daylight here in the Nordics.

After my dip I walked over to the bushes lining the shores of the island where I live with my son, to pick a few wild sea buckthorns. The small tangerine-colored berries are also known as liquid gold, as they are rich in vitamins C and E, fiber, and essential fatty acids. A handful of sea buckthorns is said to boast the same amount of vitamin C as a medium-size orange.

Because of a concept called everyman's right (jokamiehen oikeus), or public access rights, everyone in Finland is allowed to enjoy outdoor pursuits from forests to lakes and the sea and activities such as picking wild berries, mushrooms, and flowers so long as you don't disturb other

Raised in Canada with stints in New Zealand and the UK, Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based journalist and the author of The Finnish Way, which has been published in twenty-two countries. Her writing has appeared in a wide range of media, from The Globe and Mail to Elle and Monocle. Her work has been widely covered around the world, including in Le Figaro, Le Monde, El País, Vogue, Real Simple, and more.