Day No. 186 - World Women's Day

„Gleichberechtigung zwischen Mann und Frau ist nur möglich, wenn die Frau sich unterordnet.“

Seitdem Marcus Valerius Martial die o.g. Worte sprach, sind fast 2.000 Jahre vergangen. – Doch würde man ihn als Mann abends in der  Kneipe, so ganz ohne Quellenhinweis zitieren, würde dies sicherlich noch den ein oder anderen Lacher einbringen. – Hat sich seitdem wirklich viel geändert? – Wie vielen ist zwei Zeilen vorher das „als Mann“ negativ aufgestoßen. Gar nicht? – Richtig, „als Mann…“, „als Frau…“ sind Einschränkungen, welche für uns immer noch normal sind. – Doch so lange wir so unterscheiden, wird es keine Gleich-berechtigung geben. – Und seien wir bitte ehrlich zu uns selbst, wie oft sind „wir Männer“ noch ebenso borniert und chauvinistisch wie eh und je? – Ich selbst möchte mich davon gar nicht frei sprechen. – Ich bin stolz darauf ein echter Kerl zu sein. – Das sagt doch schon alles. – Und wenn ich auf unserer Tour, so wie gestern auf eine allein reisende Frau treffe, finde ich dies „als Frau“ bemerkenswert und mutig. – Bei einem Kerl, würde es mir wahrscheinlich nicht mal auffallen. – Deshalb halte ich mich aus dem Thema besser raus und hoffe das die nächste Generation es besser macht und überlasse weitere Worte zu diesem Thema besser Torgit, „als Frau“.  (Anm. von Torgit: Ich äußere mich morgen dazu)

As I write these lines, I'm sitting on the beach in Benirrás again. - Yesterday's Sunday started differently to our usual Sundays. - Torgit and I each started the day with a guided audio meditation.

Realizing that the present day, that the here and now is the most important moment in your life, that only the moment counts, is something that we, I and surely you too, know from the collection of wise sayings. Because only in this one moment can I have a direct influence on my life, only in this moment can I shape my life. Because yesterday's future is tomorrow's past. - But starting the day by internalizing this is something I never knew.

Now that I have been ending my day by reflecting on the three best moments of the day, at least when I think about it, I sleep better, am calmer and more relaxed in the morning. I take some positive energy with me into my dreams.

Some days this is easy and I have to think about which three were the best among the positive impressions. But that wasn't and isn't always the case. There are days when the positive events are limited to a cup of coffee or other little things.

I'm sure that consciously starting the day with something positive is also a way of exercising my happiness muscle. At least I had the feeling throughout the day yesterday that both Torgit and I were experiencing this day even more consciously and positively.

Wer in einer Partnerschaft lebt weiß, dass Kommunikation nicht immer einfach ist. Dies wird auch nicht unbedingt dadurch erleichtert, in dem man viel Zeit, auf so kleinem Raum miteinander verbringt. Doch wir lernen Tag für Tag, besser zu kommunizieren. Und dies ist unser persönlicher Anspruch. Wir arbeiten gemeinsam genau daran, dass unsere Beziehung besser und besser wird. Und dabei sind wir absolut nicht perfekt. – Ganz im Gegenteil, wir beide nehmen für uns in Anspruch schwierige Menschen zu sein. Doch wir werden besser und besser. (Anm. von Torgit: Ist ‚besser‘ das Gegenteil von ’schwierig‘? Ich versuche meinem Leben mehr Leichtigkeit zu geben, und denke damit werde ich auch für mein Umfeld ‚unschwieriger‘ 😉 )

All the people we met on our trip who, like us, live in a van, claim that they argue more quickly. Emotions boil over more quickly in a small space. If you have opted for a life that offers something new every day, you have also opted for a life that offers less of a comfort zone. We have learned for ourselves that arguing faster can also mean arguing more constructively and with less focus on me. More and more, we are learning not to let go of the emotion, but at least the negative emotions. Not only do we argue faster, but we also understand each other more quickly. The basis for reconciliation. (Note from Torgit: Arguing really needs to be learned. Why don't they actually teach you that at school?)

But back to our meditation. Our intention is to incorporate it into our everyday life over the next few weeks. Perhaps it will become a comfort zone. The aim is to add positive routines to our lives. - But we are still at the beginning of another journey.

But what else have we done with our Sunday? - After our meditation, we realize once again at breakfast what a magnificent cliff we are standing on. Our spot in Pou d'es Lleo simply offers a magnificent view. - Torgit and I deliberately go back to the small headland. The rock here is surrounded by water on three sides. You can see from the side that the water is even flowing through the rock beneath our feet. - But then we set off. This morning we want to visit the hippy market in Sant Joan de Labritja, or Juan Bautista in Spanish. We choose a route along the coast. The winding road reminds us a little of the Amalfi coast - the hippy market, which is always held here on Sundays, is remarkably large for such a small community. - So we are not surprised when some of the stalls look familiar from previous days. There is also live music here. - The market is really nice, but you should consider whether you really need to see several markets on the same weekend.

The two are only returned to their parents' care at sunset. But I used the time intensively to teach them all kinds of nonsense. 

Later, Torgit and I are back on the beach. Just like the week before, drummers from all over the island have gathered here. Today there are significantly more than last week. - The cannabis cloud is wafting around again - Torgit and I enjoy our can of beer and dance a little. Only when not only the sun has set, but the cold has won, do we get back on the bus. 

Conclusion: Not only did a sunny and relaxed Sunday come to an end for us, but an even more conscious day than usual.