Ok, here we go and Peter at the controls again. At the age of 26, I left H&M and started working as an asbestos cleaner. I had been to a lot of interviews to become a salesperson but didn't make it, so instead of being stuck there I took a job as a cleaner, with much better pay.
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ShareIn 1987 I became a father to a boy (called Robin) who had colic and screamed until 5am every morning for 6 months. IS THIS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE CHILDREN? Jeanette and I were two zombies. 4 months later I made a complete fool of myself.
How stupid can you get?
Company party with 30 guys from the company on the Åland boat. Booze in her body and totally broken down with 6 months back rocking in colic with her child all night long. Yep, there she was, who also had a tough time in her relationship, damn, damn, damn.
What was I supposed to do on this cursed Åland boat? A night that I barely remembered but which cannot be explained away, when you wake up naked with another woman. After a week she came to see me at work because she wanted to be with me. I had to talk to Jeanette and then it was chaos, of course.
Jeanette took our son and went home to her parents. A jigsaw puzzle that was finally finished, and broke into a thousand pieces right in front of my eyes, how stupid can you get? What do I do now? Get rid of the bride, talk to Jeanette's parents and start again.
We start again
We exchanged our apartment, which I had renovated, for a nice terraced house in Järfälla 2 kilometres from Stockholm. The woman had a broken relationship from the terraced house area, and I understood zero what a terraced house can do to a relationship. I got my sales job in chark with car, good salary, and car phone, wow and it was great then.
Now we were the perfect Swedish couple in the terraced house. I worked 3 weeks in Stockholm and one week in Östergötland every month as a salesman. I met a lot of new friends in the terraced house area that we had moved to and that my girlfriend loved.
Every new male friend I made, she was there and wanted to seduce them, and after many close friends for 4 years, the grass is very green on the other side. Now I was hurt to the core, and I hardly dared to go to work not knowing what was going on behind my back. I told one person after another to go to hell and the terraced house celebrated with its reputation. Many relationships were falling apart and I was soon to follow suit.
Happy AGAIN
After 3 years I got tired of travelling around selling and opened a construction company with my younger brother who was a carpenter. We got a contract with a municipality and suddenly we have 6 employees. There was a girl in the municipal office who wanted me and I was appreciated for who I was and "come and make me fall in love and go crazy". I hadn't felt love for years so I fell in love.
The Jeanette I mention in this story is real, and she is the mother of our son Robin. We had our good and bad years together but hurt each other way too much. For many years now we have been the best friends in the world. Helena, me, Jeanette, our son Robin and his wife, Robin's sister and her boyfriend have met each other many times and we have a lot of fun together. How good everything can become with time. Happy Friday!
Do you remember what happened to you around 30? Feel free to tell us or from something fun this week!
Next week: divorce, new kids, drug buddies and what the hell have I gotten myself into?
Did you miss the last Happy Friday? Read the Here is my life part 3
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Alexandra says:
This is the best trailer ever? Maybe it should become a film? 😉
Yes, since I turn 30 next year, I remember my "around 30 years" very well haha.
21 October 2016 - 7:02
Lennart says:
Great fun to read this time too!
21 October 2016 - 7:11
åsa i åsele says:
Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Agree with both Alexandra & Lennart... the best reading of the Friday 🙂 .
I hope everything is ok with you and that you have a nice weekend.
21 October 2016 - 7:18
Steve says:
You offer a strong life story. Your way of telling it suggests that you are steady in life. It is too good that relationships can end, but still continue to develop into something very good. Must be nice to look back and realise "How good everything can be with time."
What did I do in my 30s? Oops, that was 35 years ago. A lot happened, I was married since 26, bought my first house in Sunnersta, Uppsala and lived a good life. I made my debut as a prison governor, the job took up more and more of my time and then it rolled on at an incredible pace.
The highlight of the past week was when we celebrated Osborne's 1st birthday. Nice weekend!
21 October 2016 - 7:41
Inga says:
This episode was the best so far. Wasn't there a Swedish series about terraced house life "Svenska Härtan" or something? Come to think of it! Have a good weekend! My week's event is that me and the husband have worked for the first time in ten months, we helped some acquaintances and we will probably recover the rest of the week hehe
21 October 2016 - 7:44
anita wåg agrimanaki says:
Interesting reading, and how tough for you to talk about your life.
21 October 2016 - 8:16
Aila says:
So wonderful to read about yours. Sitting and looking forward to next Friday ...
21 October 2016 - 8:18
Evy Knoph says:
Lovely reading :-). At 30 (84) I said: Children? What do you mean children? I will not have any children! Worked a lot, moved to Holland to start up/work in a chemical factory..Good 4.5 years..came home with a completed family and a daughter :-). Sweden is still Sweden as a working parent of small children....On holidays it was skiing and the French Riviera that prevailed..and of course it was then that all good music was created...those whose concerts I fly around and now plan my trips after...right now on the way to Düsseldorf and a dose of Jean Michel Jarre. Have a great weekend!
21 October 2016 - 8:30
Anette Åhnbrink says:
This is the worst Carin Mannheimer story! It makes me a little sad how you had it, but as we all probably understood, you are a survivor, as you say, it can only get better! I myself continued the happy days of life by studying and working in Åre during the early 80s, those were the times! After a few years of seasonal work, I ended up in Gothenburg, and then I was stuck! We did everything backwards, children first, then a house and finally a wedding! We have been together for 29 years and at Christmas it will be as many years since we moved into the house! This week's happy, yes that the cold is starting to give in, nice Friday kiss on you/Anette?
21 October 2016 - 8:37
Geddfish says:
What a wonderful storyteller you are! Thank you for sharing such private things, but you are a steady fella with a twinkle in your eye 😉 and who grew up 😀.
When I was 30, I had three children and would have a fourth at 35... The third child will be 40 in a few days.
Most fun this week, was that the car went through the inspection with good praise, haha!
Have a nice weekend, hugs ♥
21 October 2016 - 8:40
Deciree says:
You're a tough guy to lay out your life like this. Good though that you found Helena ? you are so suitable for each other. Then you seem to have nice söner☺️Trevlig weekend
21 October 2016 - 8:48
Kors och Tvärs says:
At 30 Göran and I started a family and we had Happy Friday every day ☺.
21 October 2016 - 9:15
nils-åke says:
This was eventful! Before 30 yes, I got married at 27 but before that it was a bit wild. Cars outside life full speed ahead. But work has never been a problem, there was plenty to choose from. But now we have been together for 42 years. Also remember this with children who screamed all night long.
21 October 2016 - 9:24
Ama de casa says:
Gosh... Really a captivating and self-disclosing story you offer! Sometimes I think the weeks go by way too fast, but now I can hardly wait until next Friday 🙂 .
Around thirty... Then travelling really took off. There were many trips to both east and west. And a bit south as well. To the north? No, not so much. A little "home" to Skellefteå and a trip to Iceland 🙂.
Thank you for your stories! 🙂
21 October 2016 - 9:32
Ditte says:
A lot happens in life and you take the experiences with you. You develop in different ways and move on. But the road can be both winding and hilly. Exciting reading and thank you for sharing.
When I was 30, I lived in New York for a year, travelled a lot around the US and saw and experienced so much. I also got married. But it took place in Stockholm, at Karlberg Castle.
Looking forward to more next week.
21 October 2016 - 9:44
Marias Memoarer says:
So nice that you want to tell about your life so openly, I actually did not know that you have a son even! 🙂 Looking forward to the continuation! I myself have not reached 30 yet, about a year until then. But the last 2-3 years have been quite revolutionary for me and I have been through some shit, things that almost no one else knows about. Still not nearly as revolutionary as it seems to have been for you of course, but still too early for me to be able to tell about everything in the blog. Maybe in a year, or ten 😉.
21 October 2016 - 12:06
Ruth i Virginia says:
Love the header picture! A sweet young couple with a lovely
little baby and geraniums on the windowsill. An idyll!
But it was a messy life for you. I've heard that the Åland boats
are "dangerous".
Really interesting reading. You write in a very
engaging way. And you certainly had something to write about!
At 30 I had two girls, aged 2 and 4. In the summer we lived
in Lovelock, Nevada, a small town midway between Reno and Winnemucca,
where the husband did his geological fieldwork, otherwise it was the same.
ordinary home life. In the 1950s, not many wives were working.
outside the home. It was a quiet and peaceful life - and best of all, it was
loved my husband - always!
Best thing that ever happened - The third and FINAL debate between
Trump and Clinton... 8 November cannot come soon enough. 🙂
21 October 2016 - 13:40
Peter Bergström says:
Alexandra: Thanks for liking what I write and wow, are you so young. But then you have your whole life ahead of you, haha. Now you know that the short-term memory still works. Nice week!!!
Thanks Lennart: I get tired just looking back at everything, haha.
Thank you Åsa in Åsele: Of course it is fun to hear that you like how I write. We have the flu and barely eat and run to the toilet and pain in the whole body, but otherwise everything is great:-). Nice weekend!
Steve: There is not so much that moves me today and I have chosen a way to be positive in life, and solve problems into something good. I agree that it rolls along and how fast everything went after 30. You should be careful to do something every day that will be memorable. I say that because I can't live up to it myself, but it sounds good, haha. What a cool name, Osborne! Have a great weekend and thanks for sharing Steve.
None: I can only agree with the previous speaker, you will feel it for a whole week. Try to stretch a bit to stretch your muscles. The series "Swedish Hearts" is typical terraced house life and that's what it looks like in real life in many places and apparently I needed to be there too, phew. Have a nice week!
Anita Wåg Agrimanaki: Hi Anita! Sure, it's a bit tough and I don't want to hurt others too much in my story, but you have to take responsibility for what you have done. I have a self-distance to my past life and it is a story that cannot be changed. Thank you for writing and have a nice week.
Aila: Haha and thank you! It's always nice to be appreciated for what you do. Have a nice week.
Evy Knoph: I think the 70s and 80s offered so much music that still holds up today. Now I am an omnivore so I go from classical to hip hop and music has always followed my life. How cool that you go and combine music still. I wish you a wonderful week Evy.
Anette Åhnbrink: The worst skier! It feels even here that there have probably been a lot of parties during those years:-). Thank you for enjoying the story and I get tired just thinking back on everything, and I do not have ADHD, haha. Nice Friday you too.
Geddfish: I feel the same way because a car that doesn't pass is an indirect cost, energy and time loss. I always have a branch when I go to inspect a car, completely crazy. Thank you for liking how I write, it warms the whole body. Nice weekend Gerd.
Deciree: Thank you! I have finally found the right fit with Helena and for the third time in a row it worked. I have a great friendship with my children and we talk to each other several times a week. Have a nice weekend together and take care of yourselves.
Across the board: You must have been so beautifully in love that everything in your body just jumps around. It's a very strong feeling and it will last for a year and then all the faults and shortcomings that you have hidden from the beginning. If you go through that phase, a deeper love comes and it is very wonderful. Nice weekend to you both.
Nils Åke: You found a love and there are those who never did, so better late than never, right. It becomes stressful when a child has defects in the stomach and intestines when it is born. It's like it came out too early and wasn't quite ready. Tough start for some parents and happiness every minute when the baby doesn't scream. Have a nice weekend.
Ama de Casa: Thank you for liking what and how I write, oh my nose hit the ceiling, haha. I have understood that you do not like the cold and you have really gone your way, to find what exactly YOU will enjoy for the rest of your life. Absolutely right to go your way! Have a nice week and we will hear from you again soon.
Ditte: What a thing to get married in a castle and that alone would be a whole post I think. Time for you to write a book and I would definitely read it, like 2000 pages, haha. Have a wonderful week Ditte.
Maria's memoirs: Wow, that didn't sound good, but I don't think you should compare different experiences. I understand that it's too close to home when you are experiencing hardships in life. I really hope that you have come out of most of it otherwise you can contact me privately, and I mean it. Sometimes you need help but don't want to ask others because they have their own problems, so you let it go and I recognise that. I'll write it again so it gets across. let me know if I can do anything. Take care of yourself and have a cosy weekend. Hugs Peter.
21 October 2016 - 14:30
Peter Bergström says:
Ruth in Virginia: As usual a compelling story and what a wonderful feeling to just love unconditionally. You talk about my idyll and I think you recognise yourself in the photo from your young years, happiness, children, houses and the 50's, wow. Now we are talking idyllic, The American dream. Wonderful to grow up as you have done. We in Sweden do not understand this crazy thing with the election and that it is so big. I follow the election and I don't think any of them are great for the US right now. I still think that Hillary draws the longest straw in the end. have an exciting and good week.
21 October 2016 - 14:40
Rolle o Carina says:
Yes, life's long journey contains all kinds of things, both fun and boring!
Now you probably have a better and more pleasant life together, right?
Have a good time and a nice weekend together Peter....... health 🙂 .
21 October 2016 - 15:45
BP says:
With each passing week - or should I say year - I become more and more impressed with your way of writing about your life and your courage to be able/dare to blog so self-disclosingly. Praise! One could say that you are rich in experience and that you have learnt the hard way. The only way to learn something in my opinion;-)
I myself remember quite well what I did. Because I lived the life after my divorce. You had to make up for what you "missed" between 16 and 28 - something like that. Yes, I also bought a Beach Buggy that was "custom built" on a VW chassis. How cool!
The best of the week - the visit to the City Library, the colourful Electricity Fair in Kista and three outdoor lunches. It has its advantages to be a pansy:-)
21 October 2016 - 18:00
Peter Bergström says:
Rolle & carina: Of course we have an exciting and fun life together and you will surely notice that in our writing. Have a wonderful weekend together.
Thank you BP: It is warming but it has been hard and I have not received anything free in life. That's probably why I have "nothing changes unless you make it changes" tattooed on my body because only I can influence my own destiny. I think you were the Queen of the town with your monster and everyone thought I want that girl, haha. I understand you exactly and I think you were extra happy at that time, because you needed so much attention and you took the chance. Not everyone dares because you think you have so much to lose, but you have more to gain. hugs BP and I'm still laughing.
21 October 2016 - 19:19
Matts Torebring says:
I apologise for being honest and contrary to what others write. I don't think it was a comfortable life you lived. That you were able to cope? Today it feels like you are doing well. It's worth celebrating.
21 October 2016 - 19:32
Ruth i Virginia says:
Matts - I don't think it was a comfortable life at all for Peter.
in his youth. If you re-read what Peter says a second time, you will realise that he struggled with many internal issues, until he,
so to speak, found its own way.
"How stupid can you get?" he asks himself after his trip to Åland.
"...a puzzle broke into a thousand pieces....". Doesn't sound very pleasant.
Admire how he came back and what he achieved.
21 October 2016 - 23:01
Peter Bergström says:
Matts Torebring: Hi Matts. I don't think anyone thinks I lived comfortably and I would have changed a thousand things along the way if I had more experience of life. I like your reflection and I agree with you on many things but that was my life. I can tell you that inside I celebrate every day that I found Helena so you are absolutely right, we celebrate. Continue to think, think and write your opinions because we will not hold anything back. Just try to understand that there are big problems in different relationships, but I will get to that later in happy Friday. Thank you Matts for being honest!
Ruth in Virginia: Sometimes it takes a woman's voice to understand. I was actually brought up like Matt that you don't cry, and you get a slap on the cheek if you sulk. I also came from a period in the 70s when many people were on the loose, and I am an emotional person who also moved with the times. It was a time when Sweden only saw the future as something wonderful but with lots of clashes culturally. Imagine if you could change history and I don't want to, because then I wouldn't have met Helena.
21 October 2016 - 23:30
BP says:
Can't help but comment on Ruth's comment. Ruth is much older than Matts. All honour to this fantastic woman. It may be that Matt is of the "older generation". But on the other hand - so is Steve, and he has a completely different attitude (fortunately).
I haven't gotten anything for free either, but have had to (happily) work hard for what I have achieved. Oh I am absolutely sure that you are as proud of where you are today as I am. We did it, even if it took some time;-)
PS. F*n so strange that there are so few guys who comment with you. There I almost beat you - once a week, that is;-) DS.
22 October 2016 - 0:43
Marina says:
Thank you once again for a great post for the morning coffee. (It is always exciting to get up in the morning and see what happened during the night on the other side of the world) Despite everything you have with you in the baggage, it is very wonderful to know that you are all doing well together today and that it works. When I was 30 I was a married (still married to the same man) homeowner with two children and a job I enjoyed. A few years later we moved to England and perhaps it was there somewhere that the desire to discover more was awakened.
22 October 2016 - 3:56
Eva - People in the Street says:
I really like the series about your life and look forward to the next instalment!
When I turned 30, I had just had my second child, lived in a villa in Kyrkbyn, Gammelstad, and was married to the children's father. We travelled a lot and lived an active and sporty life. Now I live in a villa in Kyrkbyn and am married, but in another house and another man? Haha. Travels even more, but is not as sporty as the body does not really allow it any more.
22 October 2016 - 9:11
Peter Bergström says:
Hmmm BP: We have to work on it with men but men write more rarely. we have 40% men who follow us on the blog according to Google Analytics so that's 8000 unique men a month.
Hi Marina: Of course it is fun to discover new places in the world. We are focusing on Europe and mostly central and eastern Europe. There is so much to discover that many have missed out on. We have lots of trips planned and it just grows so we feel spoilt. Have a nice weekend.
Eva- People in the street: Hi Eva! in the same village? This is how inbreeding works, haha. Thank you for liking what I write, and I think you who read get a good moment with yourself too and look in the rearview mirror. I get such wonderful stories back just like yours and it makes me happy. Have a nice week Eva.
22 October 2016 - 11:25
steel city anna says:
You write well 🙂 Just like when you wrote about the toner, I do not think this was so shocking but something that most people experience at some point in one way or another? At least I think so, but not everyone is so open with life's pretzel hooks 🙂.
However, I have watched out for Alandsbat quite closely 🙂 .
Svenska Hjartan is one of the best series ever made, I think!
22 October 2016 - 19:42
Dryden - Traveler's Edition says:
What a series of stories and what an asshole! In the middle of all the seriousness, it's hard not to sit here and smile about it, if you'll excuse me. 🙂
25 October 2016 - 19:30
Dryden - Traveler's Edition says:
...and yes, well, no. Misery and shit is nothing to smile about. Of course not. But your writing is entertaining and it makes for interesting reading. That's what I meant from the beginning. 🙂
25 October 2016 - 19:31
Anna, Travel on a Cloud says:
Wow, I had missed this episode! Repeat what I said before: You tell it so incredibly well and engagingly. I have also had colic children. Then you felt like you were living ...
What I did around thirty, I wrote in the comment to the next Happy Friday.
Your story should definitely become a film!
10 November 2016 - 19:54