It is easy to tell people what to do, and what not to do… Hosting a blog is like having an around the clock tribune, and a lot of people enjoy tips and advices, wether they are about blogging, traveling, self improving or life in general… I have written that kind of posts in the past, and I always try to share advices that I practice.

I don’t want to be one of these ”Do what I say, not what I do” kind of girl.

One thing I strongly believe in, is that dreams can come true. But there’s nothing magical about that. In order to live the dream, you have to keep focus, work hard and make some sacrifices…

You have to set your priorities right to achieve your goals.

As you might know, I recently spent a month’s free time at the hospital, visiting my sick father, and helping my mother cope with the roller coaster of good and bad news. On the day I learnt about Dad’s stroke, Wow Air officially went out of business, and I lost my plane tickets to Copenhagen.

At first, I gave up and focused on getting my money back, (which is not going to happen before at least June, maybe July… If I get it back, but that’s another story) thinking ”Oh well, there will be other occasions!”

But Dad’s sudden illness made me realize how unpredictable Life is… I had already imagined seeing Copenhagen’s cherry trees in bloom, the yellow rape fields, the giant lilacs… I wanted to see Danes invading parks as soon as the clouds part, and the sun is out… I had pictured myself riding the train from town to town, enjoying the Danish Spring again.

And I knew I would regret staying at home, imagining what it would have been like to be there.

So I shopped for several nights online, and I bought myself new tickets to Vikingland. I cut on other expenses, and I made it come true. And since I pushed the ”payment” button, my mind has been boiling with ideas of how I would spend my time abroad.

And a thought came to mind.

Most people, when they think about traveling, look forward to bringing back a lot of pictures, stories, and souvenirs of all sorts. Post cards, art pieces, food… I agree that it is just natural to want to take take a little piece of the places you visited back with you.

But what about leaving a little piece of yourself behind?

Many of my fondest memories about my first three trips to Denmark, were moments when I left a trace of my visit. There are many ways to do this… In Copenhagen, I left a lock on a bridge in Nyhavn (picture above). In Viborg, I sat for a long time in the Domkirke’s (the main church in town) crypt, and I wrote a long letter about my tour around Denmark, and my dearest wishes in life, in some sort of guest book. In Ribe, I climbed to the top of the cathedral’s tower, and signed a wall (ok, not as proud of that one, but to my defense, a LOT of people had done it already).

I also believe that spending time with locals somehow left a mark. Wether it was with friends I knew before traveling there, or strangers that crossed my path by pure hazard, I hope these people remember the girl from Canada, over excited to be visiting their country, as vividly as I remember them all.

Leaving a little of me behind feels as good as taking a part of Denmark back home with me. And I plan on figuring new and original ways to leave a lot more this time.

One thing’s for sure, a big part of my heart already lives there, now. It might explain why I feel so good when I get out of the plane, in Copenhagen. Or maybe that’s just me being silly. I don’t care… The feelgood moment doesn’t need an explanation.