Legendary defender

As most kids do when they grow up, I loved cartoons. I remember waking up before school when I was a little nerdy boy to the smell of hot chocolate milk that actually tasted horribly for me. Mom used to bring it to me and I was so half asleep that I was unable to resist that. And of course "milk is good to make your bones strong", mom said.

School started around 8pm and I had about 25-30 minutes to wake up, have breakfast and prepare around 6am. That was the time when you could open the TV in the late 90's and see those awesome supercool cartoons like looney toons or Dragonball, or even the spooky Goosebumps.

My favorite animated series and the first memory of such a VHS tape was Voltron: Defender of the Universe that dates back until 1986 or so. I remember a specific night that my parents were away and I was alone at home with grandma who was there to keep an eye on me. I do not remember how I managed to possess that VHS tape but it was the first time I ever saw it. It was about 1-1.5 hours long. I found out 20 years later when I remembered the series that in essence it was just the first 2-3 episodes cut together into a nice little mini-movie.

The moment I plugged the VHS tape in the player and the intro started, I was hooked. The music, the story, the atmosphere. I loved it. I watched it back to back 2-3 times that night just because I felt so good about it. It was rare to find those tapes back then so I ended up forgetting about Voltron for a long time.

For those who do not know, or are too young to remember, Voltron was a robot made from 5 robot lions piloted by some young space explorers. I still remember the amazing lion roar when the blazing sword was formed. Good times.

Anyways, what on earth does all this have to do with my life right? Well I guess there is another of those mysterious and cryptic allegories.

Back then the universe was peaceful and protected by this mighty defender. Their strength lied in their teamwork, ethics, determination and they were strong together. Voltron would strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. One day, an evil witch named Haggar that serves as a servant of the main antagonist, disguised herself and appeared in trouble. When Voltron came to help, she put a powerful curse and the 5 robot lions were split and tossed in different parts of the galaxy, becoming dormant for years. Chaos reigned supreme once more.

In the end, a new team of brave space explorers assembled, tracked down the robot lions and once more formed Voltron to defeat evil.

I woke up today really early and thought about the same thing. I used to be so strong and unfazed by the issues of daily life. Then since 2012 and then in August 2015 a series of problems began to manifest. Death, the girl in the yellow dress, injuries, diseases and economic stress all took their toll on me. Like that curse, my power and strength was split into pieces. My mental and physical health was scattered everywhere in the known multiverse. I could not form my own Voltron anymore. I can't believe over a year has passed since August 2015. We lived and died together for 6 months. Then I died alone. But finally I feel some form of peace now.

But lately things are falling back in place again slowly. I cannot believe I finally got my degree in Hydrogeology. Two years, two hard years have passed in Uppsala University. Two years of blood and bone. Not only that, I have my first important job interview next week in a big consulting firm. I am cautiously excited. Most of my survival problems will go away if I get the job and most importantly I will begin to fulfill my life's goal, to create a sustainable society and bring clean water and energy to people.

The other day I had lunch with Reyes and her friend Agnes. She asked me if I just woke up in the morning and went there for 30 minutes just to see them.

"What better excuse than to see a dear friend?", I replied.

Her face lit up with a smile and gave me a high five. It is nice to have some people you can actually call friends here. I think I can call Josefine, Eleonor, Reyes, Imenne, Efi and a couple more my friends here. Even though I do not see them often (more like rarely) it still feels nice. Eleonor is one of the few people that actually invites me out even in the last moment, it is so appreciated. They will probably never read those words, but I love them :)

So if there is a moral in all this story, it is that all the pieces of the puzzle are slowly falling in place. My mental health is much better than last year, I graduated, I hope I am in the verge of finding a job. After that, the last step will be to make a beautiful family in the future. I am tracking down my lions, one at a time. Finding a house, finding friends, finding a job, getting my health back and then the last lion. The black lion. The head of Voltron.

Goodnight and good day everyone.