Day No. 142 - Friendship is ...

...when someone praises you for swimming well after you capsize while sailing." - Werner Schneyder

We were asked the following questions:

"How are you actually coping with your own new time calculation? - No time pressure, no expectations from third parties?  

The time calculation is still the same, Twenty4Seven, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Due to the independence, there was no clear demarcation from the weekend. The only thing that has changed is the activities. There is still something to do, myself and all the time: Standing safely, where do I get water, electricity, where do I find a baker, where the supermarket, where my toothpaste, the right shampoo, where delicious coffee!!!!! Where to find a place for the night and please before it gets dark. What goes in the blog. Only freedom remains. But as a reward, there are new places, people, animals, challenges, inspirations...

But what has changed is perception. - The appreciation of value has changed, the value of time, the value of resources water, electricity... - attention is becoming greater. We live more consciously in the here and now. 

And what about the time pressure, the expectations of third parties?

I am now more aware that little has changed between then and now. Even today, there are still expectations from third parties. And time pressure? - Let's be honest with ourselves. - Did the pressure only come from outside or did it essentially come from ourselves? Didn't the outside world just push the buttons that we had previously provided? Wasn't this even a way of motivating ourselves? Higher? Faster? Further? - Isn't that something that only comes from outside? Ultimately, the hamster itself decides whether it runs or not. So there was a time to run. And now there is a time to slow down.

Normal already? - Nothing is normal here, I'm married to Torgit. - Nevertheless, we should be careful not to take things for granted. For example: When two vultures circle in the sky, you look at them, when three, four or five circle, you are moved to tears. But when one or two are circling. - It's the same with sunsets by the sea. 

But other things are not normal either, elementary things are missing. I miss my friends, for example. - Of course you meet new people every day. There's the new Dutch neighbor with his California in the parking space next door. But that doesn't replace the strong bonds of people who have been with you for decades. Not Dagmar, Gaby, Susanne, Uwe, Michael or Oliver. 

We used to take a week, out of the ordinary, to spend time with our friends. - As soon as we're back in Germany, there will be time for friends again. That's for sure. When we're back in Germany at the end of March, we want to see all our friends. And our family too, of course. So, be prepared 🙂