Explosion in Kvillebäcken: How daily life carries on amidst the unease

There's a strange feeling waking up in Kvillebäcken today. The sky over Hisingen is its usual grey, the trams are running on schedule at Hjalmar Brantingsplatsen stop, yet something's different. Last night, there was a real bang. An explosion near a townhouse area has left its mark, both on building facades and in people's minds. Usually, the biggest worry around here is whether you'll make it to Friskis&Svettis before the evening class, or snag an appointment at Capio rehab for that niggling shoulder. But last night was about something else entirely.

Police cordoned off the area early, and forensics have been working through the morning to secure evidence. For those of us who live here, or move through the area daily, it feels surreal. You think about the kids heading to school, everyone going to work at Ica or hopping on the tram to the city centre. At the same time, it's almost bizarre how quickly everyday life tries to reassert itself. Just a stone's throw from the police tape, Flexmassage Kvillebäcken on Gamla Tuvevägen is opening its doors as usual. Inside, it still smells of calming oils, and in the lounge with comfy armchairs, someone's waiting for their booked deep tissue massage. Life goes on, even when it's shaky.

Finding comfort in the everyday – from rehab to dental visits

The strange thing about an event like this is how it brings everything into sharp focus. Suddenly, those mundane things you take for granted become markers of normalcy and safety. Take Folktandvården Kvillebäcken on Borstbindaregatan, for instance. I know they're open until 7 PM today, like they are Monday to Thursday. Usually, 25 people work there across nine treatment rooms, handling everything from filling cavities to trialling new digital tech with the development clinic. For patients booked in for an afternoon check-up, it's probably a relief to step into that bright space and focus on something as basic as a scale and clean. Right now, a root canal might feel like less of a big deal than whatever went bang last night.

Same goes for rehab and exercise. Capio rehab and Friskis&Svettis are the kinds of places that are hubs in so many people's daily routines. You go there to get stronger, recover from an injury, or just clear your head after work. The need to look after yourself, both physically and mentally, probably feels even more acute when the outside world seems unsteady. You need to work your body, break a sweat, or just be pampered a bit.

What we know right now – and what we're doing

Things are calm at the moment, from what I gather. Police are investigating, and those of us here have to trust they're doing their jobs. What's important to remember is that Kvillebäcken is so much more than the headlines from one single night. This area is full of people going to work, keeping appointments, and looking out for each other.

Here are a few of the places that just keep ticking over, no matter what:

• Friskis&Svettis: For anyone who needs to run off the anxiety or lift their mind off things for a while.
• Flexmassage Kvillebäcken: Perfect if you're carrying tension in your shoulders and neck after a restless night. They always ask "How are you feeling?" when you arrive – a question that probably carries a bit more weight today.
• Folktandvården: A reminder that we keep looking after our health, even when things get tough.
• Capio rehab: For everyone in the middle of a recovery process who needs to keep moving forward, regardless.

It's easy to focus on the bang itself, the detonation and the police work. That's the news, that's the drama. But for those of us who are actually here, who have Kvillebäcken as part of our everyday, it's something else that sticks with you. It's the contrast. Knowing that just a few hundred metres from a crime scene, someone is sitting in an armchair getting a massage, someone else is on a rowing machine at the gym, and another person is in the dentist's waiting room flipping through a magazine. That's the quiet, everyday strength that helps a community like this bounce back.