As a child, I must’ve made hundreds of paper boats to float down the irrigation or drainage canals by the rice fields. Growing up in a landlocked town, this was the best bet to race paper boats and run along the field dikes aka catwalks! Such memories rushed at me while walking through Eventyrhaven in Odense, named after the many adventures in tales of Denmark’s most popular author and Odense’s very own—Hans Christian Andersen!

I had to stop and reminisce, or be reminded of the many adventures that brought me to this exact moment, in the middle of Denmark no less. While my days of chasing paper boats are most likely behind me (though we’ll never know), I think there are more life adventures to come. As we all know, paper boats eventually get too wet and sink, or just tear up. Perhaps, in a way, this metal version of the paper boat is meant to last, staying afloat as a reminder that as we chase our dreams or go through life, we become better, and be made of something stronger. We may not last forever but we can definitely stand the test of time!