I really like where my friends live in Tallinn. They are in an apartment building in a neighborhood called Pelgulinn. Most of the structures in this part of the city are well over 100 years old. They have housed Estonians through 2 different occupations and 2 wars. I am sure at one point most of the buildings that suffered the most damage and disrepair sat unused, just being an eyesore within a very charming area. Rather than let this continue, the residents have transformed some of these buildings into shops, cafes, recording studios, and various other places of business and socializing. Its a great way to reuse ruins, while maintaining a rustic look that is authentic.
When I have encountered my own ruins of my past, I sometimes stop to think about what I should be doing differently this time around. Its hard. These ghosts come with some pretty unpleasant memories. Choices I have made have altered my path, permanently at times. When the choices are mine alone to make, its a bit easier to look back at these past situations and just ask myself what I have learned from things. What would I do differently, what future am I looking at if I go down a certain road a second time. When the choices are not mine and it is someone else altering my path, that is when frustration sets in. Its a cocktail of emotions, an eerie feeling of I’ve been here before mixed with a bit of trepidation and even fear. You don’t have much of a choice but to react accordingly and always try and do the right thing.
