Let the sun shine, let the sunshine in..! Shine in..on my baby..! Being pregnant and about to give birth any day now while living in a world that seems to get more evil and uncertain every day, is a bit worrisome. When I was pregnant with baby Flora, the war in Ukraine started. This time around, the inhuman situation in Gaza is central. Looking closer geographically, Sweden is now a country with a very high risk of terror attacks and horrifying daily news containing Swedish children being recruited by criminal gangs to commit deadly crimes. Reckless shootings towards innocent people outside kindergartens in daylight. It makes me reflect on what kind of world we are bringing our baby girl into. What will her future look like? Maybe society has changed so much that we can not ensure that our children get the same safe childhood as we had, and we have to accept this new reality. But wait a minute..should we really?

Perhaps I was born disgustingly positive, or perhaps it’s just a strong survival mechanism, but I see the light. I CHOOSE to see the sun and the bright shining light in everything I think and do, and I think it’s more important now than ever to actively choose where we put our thoughts and actions — or else we risk becoming victims of what we fear the most: the darkness, the hatred, and the evilness. If we parents are not able to have HOPE for a better world and teach our children how to see the light despite the dark and heavy clouds above, how can we expect THEM to change the reality they are born into and to be the light they wish to see in the world?

So, this time around, choosing the bright side is not just for my own disgustingly positive self, but for the future of our next generation. Our children should not have to accept our current criminal situation. Instead, they should be taught to accept all human beings, despite our differences. Despite not looking, thinking, or being the same. By focusing on love, care, and compassion for ALL living beings we can instill LIGHT and hope for a better future, in which I use Mary Anne Radmacher as a guiding star: “As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way”.