James J. Hill once said: "Give me snuff, whiskey and Swedes, and I'll build you a railroad to hell." He knew what he was talking about. When a project demanded pushing the limits of possibility, it was Swedes he wanted by his side. Not because we were the most numerous. Not because we shouted the loudest. But because we carried a quiet, indomitable force within us: grit.
Today, I write these words not from Sweden, but from my new homeland. I am already living in the future, in a new life I chose for myself, in another country – Bulgaria. A place where mountains meet the sky and where people still offer genuine smiles. I live in exile, but it is no sorrowful flight. It is a triumphant step. A choice. A pure expression of the Swedish soul: courage, creativity, and an unyielding drive forward.
We Who Carried Sweden on Our Shoulders
We come from a people who raised cabins in snowstorms, plowed frozen fields, built machines, and dreamed bigger dreams than our gray horizons could contain. Our ancestors laid stone upon stone, plank upon plank, life upon life, to build a society that honored work, loyalty, and dignity.
But beneath the surface of order and structure simmered something more: the fire of creativity and the stubbornness of the rebel. These qualities enabled our ancestors not only to survive through ice and forest but to venture out into the world — as engineers, explorers, entrepreneurs, and dreamers.
To Be Swedish Is to Dare
I carry this heritage with me. Not as a heavy memory, but as a living force. Daring to step out of comfort is the ultimate expression of Swedishness. Daring to say: "It may be comfortable here, but I want more. I want to go further."
In Bulgaria, I have found a place where I can plant my experience, my energy, and my resilience like a new tree, rooted in new soil but nourished by the same inner spring. I am no longer dependent on old structures to validate my worth. I know who I am. I am Swedish. I am a creator. I am a traveler on new paths.
Creativity, Courage, and Grit
Today, much is said about "grit" — that blend of passion and perseverance that separates dreamers from builders. But grit is nothing new to us. It runs in our DNA.
It was grit that drove Swedish pioneers to break new ground in America.
It was grit that birthed engineering feats like Volvo and SAAB.
It is grit that still burns in those of us who dare to change our lives when others tell us to stay put.
I carry my creativity like a sword. My courage as a shield. My perseverance as the ground I walk on. None of that has been lost in the move. On the contrary, it has grown.
Exile as Adventure
Some see exile as loss. I see it as adventure. I have traded the familiar for the unknown, but I have not traded away anything of value. I have brought my true self, my culture, my history, and carried them like treasure chests toward a new horizon.
Exile is not a flight from something. It is a journey toward something greater. A chance to unite the best of two worlds: the Swedish soul's stubborn light and the honest power of Bulgarian soil.
Sweden in My Heart, the World at My Feet
As I now gaze out over the mountains, I know that Sweden never truly leaves me. It lives in the way I greet strangers, in the stubbornness with which I solve problems, in the will to build where others see obstacles.
I carry Swedish confidence with me, but I let it grow and blossom in a new culture. I learn languages, customs, and traditions — but I also give back. With my experience. My energy. My relentless spirit.
The Future Is Now
By the time this text is published, I am already in place. Already in motion. Already building new dreams, new projects, new life works. I am not a temporary guest. I am a new pioneer.
Just like the Swedes who built Hill's railroads, I carry the knowledge that wherever I am, I can lay a foundation, raise a structure, and create a future.
I am part of an eternal chain of those who dare.
We do not just build tracks across prairies and deserts. We build lives. From courage. From willpower. From passion.
With snuff, whiskey, and Swedish grit, we built railroads to hell if needed.
With the same strength, I now build my path to heaven.
And the journey has only just begun.
Because with snuff, whiskey, and Swedish grit, nothing is impossible!
By Chris...
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