F A M I L Y

I’m on tour in Germany and my family is sitting home in my parents tiny house, eating Christmas food and playing Christmas games. It’s the annual get together for the whole bunch. We do it every year. Or rather, “they” do it every year. It makes me sad to think they’ve gotten used to the fact that sometimes I’m just not there.

A couple of years ago, I asked my little niece if she knew my parents’ name and she said no. She knows my parents really well and I said; “of course you do. It’s Lis and Boye.” And she asked; “But if Lis and Boye are still your parents, how come we don’t see you anymore when we visit them at Christmas?” It broke my heart.

– I can’t be there this year because I have a show tonight playing an acoustic intimate concert in front of 70 people in Lustadt in the south of Germany.

I chose this life and I knew it would come with sacrifices and would bring me solitude and loneliness from time to time and I know this is only half of the sacrifices compared to what will happen later on, as my career hopefully develops and takes form.

But it is still hard to be away and always being the one choosing yourself. But at the same time I can’t help but smiling when I see how it puts me in the arms of other families and new friends and how I get the opportunity to really get to become a part of other people’s lives.

Complete strangers that all of a sudden become friends and family. For example on a night like this and on this tour in general, I play like 2 hours in front of 50-70 people. It’s the 4th year in a row now that I’ve played these shows in the south of Germany. Some of these people have seen me every year for the last 4 years. Some of them I consider as my own family and I use them as my reality check, they know me and follow me in my quests and dreams, so I go on stage and I tell about my career, give them an update on the whole thing and just really tell them what’s going on in my life. Like you do with family.

So at least, when in lack of my own loved ones, I’m lucky that I get to play in front of these people and that I get to touch their hearts, just like they touch mine. Thank you to my “bonus” families for making me feel warm and loved this December. And thank you to my own family for being so understanding and patient with me.

I wanna also touch base on the matter and encourage everyone to go out into the world and meet strangers. There are so many wonderful and giving humans out there all around the world. We live our lives more and more secluded and private, because we are getting more and more afraid of what we don’t know and we protect what we have instead of being thankful of what we have and start thinking about what we could give. Around the world people are building fences and putting up walls to protect them inside of their own little communities. Literally! They are literally building walls surrounding their small communities. And I get it. People are afraid, but it’s the wrong direction, we’re only building jails for ourselves. The more we seclude ourselves, the less we will know and learn about others, which will lead to the end of our social understanding and won’t lead to nothing but war. In my humble opinion.

So get out there. Don’t cheat yourself for the experiences that awaits you and the people who are just waiting to throw love and comfort at your feet. It’s a beautiful fucking world out there with billions of people just like you and me. Not all is bad, even tho some try to print that image in our heads sometimes. Don’t be so afraid. Be openminded and set yourself free.

My German assistant, “the schouexpert” has a mom and today we went to have lunch with her. She had made potato soup and Dampfnudeln. (Fucking love Dampfnudeln.) Her name is Annelore and she’s 83 years old. As we sat there eating Dampfnudeln at Annelore’s dining table with the old tick tock clock that seems almost inevitable in any grandma’s home, I couldn’t help but think of my own grandma, who passed away last year. Hope you’re resting good “famse.” – Annelore treats me like her own, and she gives me the longest hugs ever and I can feel how much she sincerely loves me, even tho she only met me 4-5 times. It’s truly amazing to have such a connection with a “stranger” and it once again reminds me that a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet. Thank you for the Dampfnudeln Annelore and all my thoughts and prayers for your sick husband. You are indeed an angel.

 

She gave me a jewelry before I left today and told me that this was her heart and that she wanted to give it to me. It had German words engraved on it; “Am weihnachtsbaum die lichter brennen.” ❤️

In a world full of mistrust, war and misery, it’s so important to remind ourselves that it’s also a world full of love, peace and understanding. And that’s why I’m telling this story, with the danger of sounding like an old hippie.

– Merry Christmas, Schou.

Ps. Who wouldn’t want uncles like these: