Calm Friday

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #166

Today I’d like to express gratitude for that beautiful feeling of relief when I have some free time after several consecutive days of busyness where I had lots to do both during the work days and in the evenings. Even if they are things I enjoy, like my writing class, doing an escape room with my colleagues or catching up with friends, I find real comfort in having several uninterrupted hours to myself. I really need this time in order to process all the inputs from the past days, journal, reflect, stare out the window and switch off for a while to reconnect with myself.

Craving time outdoors

February 4, 2020February 4, 2020 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

Today I’m sharing another photo from a lovely walk a few weeks ago in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. I love how this tree sticks out of the heather and rises up to the sky with its branches. Just looking at this picture reminds me of how good it felt to be outdoors, to be brushed by the elements, to feel the temperature shift as the clouds came and went, to be drawn to the amazing details of plants and lichens, to pay attention to the myriad of surprising shapes and textures…

I guess I’m spending a bit too much time at the computer, what with work and writing assignments/submissions, so I’m craving being nature and to slow down, undisturbed by traffic, notifications and other distractions. I think this weekend I’ll try to make some time for a little forest bathing:)

Outdoor time in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug

January 24, 2020January 24, 2020 / cultivatingjoy / 3 Comments

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #163

Last Saturday I went with two dear friends for a walk in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug national park as a belated experience-gift for my birthday. As we walked away from the station with its noisy traffic, and entered deeper into the woods, time seemed to slow down. It felt so good to breathe in the smells of the humid forest. I felt my legs getting more energised with each step on the path.

The landscape kept surprising us, changing from oak forest to pine trees, to sandy open spaces, to paths winding through mossy forest floors… Also we were graced with a wide range of different weather in just a few hours: sunshine, clouds, rain, rain and sunshine at the same time, and even hail, as we continued to put one foot in front of the other, without haste.

As always it felt really good to be away from the bustling city, not to mention the snacks and thermos full of boozy tea that we had along the way, which took the experience to another level;) But mostly it was our chats and laughs that made my day. I’m so grateful for sharing this calm afternoon, talking about what’s on our minds and catching up in such a relaxing setting.

The joy of letter writing

January 10, 2020January 13, 2020 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #161

Yesterday evening I sat down to write a letter. Though I do regularly send postcards, taking the time to write a proper letter made me realise how rarely I do so. I was writing in response to a letter from a dear friend, written a couple of months ago. Her familiar hand-writing covering several pages of lined paper, bringing me her thoughts and fragments of her life from the other side of the globe. A physical letter that I have pulled out, unfolded and re-read since I received it, thinking of my friend, taking the time to contemplate what I’d like to answer and tell her about, the questions I want to ask her…

So yesterday alone in the quiet of my flat, I finally took out some recycled paper and my favorite pen, and got writing. About banal things, how the holidays had been, what I’ve been up to recently and what is on my mind of late… The pages filled up quickly, thoughts flowing and getting more personal as I scribbled them down. I ended up with a neat pile of numbered pages, slipped tightly into an envelope which will make its way across the world.

I love that letters don’t demand an immediate reading or a fast answer. They can stray in the limbo of the postal system. By the time my words arrive, a couple of weeks will have passed, new events will have unfolded, thoughts will have evolved. The snippets of my life contained in the letter will be about an earlier-me, and penning the thoughts helped me to figure out what they meant to me at the time.

Spending more time together

December 27, 2019December 27, 2019 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #159

Despite the festivities and family get-togethers, this has felt like a calm week, dedicated to slowing down. I particularly enjoyed the fact that we were not online or watching television too much. Instead, we have been playing board games, a simple way to spend time together, laugh a lot and connect. We also made our yearly dream-board collages and inspired each other with colourful images, activitst ideas, creative projects… I’m happy to collect these good memories and inspiration for the next months when we will all go back to our day-to-day lives in different places.

Spoiling myself after a long day

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

Sometimes the perfect way to spend a Tuesday evening after a long day is just to come home and indulge in a take-away TV dinner. I’m so grateful for a quiet evening in, to savour the delicious caramelised eggplant dish picked up from the restaurant down the road and watching Casa de Papel (otherwise known as ‘practicing my spanish’;) I think will top it off by going to bed early to read! Saludos!

Yearning for more calm

December 13, 2019December 13, 2019 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

JOYFUL GRATITUDE #157

With the air being cold and crisp, as well as night falling around 4.30 pm, my body feels ready to go into full hibernation mode. All I seem to want to do is curl up and rest deeply for a while, with no obligations and nowhere to rush to.

However life has other plans. Instead of winding down, the weeks leading up to xmas feel very full, despite a more simple approach to gift giving and my efforts to prioritise by consciously saying NO. Probably because of the holiday now being so close, I feel like I have no more energy to give.

So I am grateful for the privilege of having some proper time off over the xmas period. While I’m in France, I’m really looking forward to the quiet days at home with my family. I foresee lots of sleeping in, cooking and eating good food all together, watching movies under soft blankets and catching up over steaming mugs of tea.

Curled petals

December 10, 2019December 10, 2019 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

Late this autumn, I planted some mixed seeds into the soil of the empty looking pots on my balcony, and to my surprise some these lovely orange flowers came up. I can see them every day, through the glass of the balcony door when I sit at the kitchen table. Their hardiness and bright colour have been giving me so much joy in past weeks.

Normally the petals reach straight outwards from the center, but recently, maybe because of the cold, they started curling slightly, making the flower even more beautiful. One morning last week I decided it was ok to miss the usual tram I take to work, to spend a few quiet moments to photograph its fleeting charm in the first rays of daylight. So glad I did!

My snow globe brain

December 2, 2019December 1, 2019 / cultivatingjoy / Leave a comment

It’s been a busy weekend here getting lots of writing done. So much so that even cleaning the bathroom felt like a welcome break from searching for the right word or coming up with logical plot evolutions. Scrubbing the shower walls and mopping the tiles felt wonderfully simple and grounding.

Though having deadlines and self-chosen submission goals helps to encourage me, I realise I have to be careful no to overdo it. I imagine my brain to be like snow globe that’s been shaken and that calm time is needed for all the small particles to settle back down in their new place.

Like with everything, I feel that I really need time recharge after pushing myself and stretching my comfort zone, especially with the vulnerable act of submitting a piece of writing. I need to remember to schedule in a buffer of down-time where my brain feels like it does not ‘have to’ do anything for a while, to give it time to process what it’s experienced.

First impression of the Deelerwoud

November 4, 2019November 9, 2019 / cultivatingjoy / 2 Comments

On the Eastern side of the Hoge Veluwe sits its twin, the Deelerwoud, a very similar parc but with no entrance fee and much less people. It was recommended by our landlady, so we went to check it out on our last day in the Veluwe and found it’s a great alternative.

There too mushrooms were popping up all over the place in the undergrowth, showing off the details of their unique caps. We enjoyed a quiet walk, savoured having the path all to ourselves, meeting only one lady with her dog during the whole time.

It was sunny when we headed out and we chatted as we made our way, until all of a sudden when we stopped to take some pictures we realised huge grey clouds building up behind us and pretty soon after it started to rain.

Soon it was pouring so hard, we had to cut short our exploration and head back to our bikes. We were lucky to come across a little hut at the entrace of the parc to take shelter in, while we waited for the downpour to calm down. It was a cute place, all made of wood, where you can self-serve coffee and tea and have a snack. There was even locally-made ice-cream in the freezer, but soaked as I was it’s one of the rare times I turned down ice-cream. No problem though, that just means we will have to go back – both for a longer walk and to try the local ice-cream;)