Connecting Through Writing

Everybody wants to be listened to. Listened to and understood.

Having a person hear us, acknowledge us and reflect back that they got the point we were making.This is what we want in communication. A person to listen to us and vice versa. A feeling of connection.

Doing this makes us feel less alone.

At times it is not easy to own your voice. We can get discouraged by others, intimidated showing genuinely who we are and sharing ourselves with others…

Writing is a gift to those I think, who don’t go all out there in speech, but process a lot in thought and need an outlet, to try and restore an inner balance.

“Making peace with our mind by putting its thoughts on paper.”

To tell somebody. Even if that somebody starts out with being a blank sheet.

Writing helps us put down ideas and opinions and unlike speech, it’s easier to edit and improve what we were trying to say, before it was SAID. HEARD. &.ACKNOWLEDGED.

Being able to reach others through writing something, telling a story. Having what we write read and with this :”HEARD” is a wonderful process. It’s like taking care of a garden. The garden of our mind and sharing it’s images with others…

 

-ENOUGH FOR THE MOMENT-

SEATTLE LOVESTORY PART 2:

Seattle my precious! I return with a new post dedicated to you and further reasons why I love you❤️:

 

Walking through Mt. Rainer National Park in Spring, breathing in the fresh air and witnessing the variety of botanical beauty.

 (photo: fineartamerica.com)

There are not many places I have been, with so much colorful, wild flora and fauna to see! Flowers float every woman’s boat!

If it’s too rainy for a walk, how about retreating with friends to “Quinn’s Pub” on Pike Street!?

(photo featured in “Seattle Times”)

 

Me, I love a good pub meal! And “Quinn’s” combines good lager with great food. P.E.R.F.E.C.T.I.O.N.!

 I also love “Bathtub,Gin& Co“  on 2nd Ave for a glass of wine or an obvious, clichéd Gin &Tonic, while catching up with friends after a shop in the City.

Seattle also offers great museums to visit.

Something different from your typical art museum would be for example “The Museum of Glass”, colorful, funky glass art.

or visiting “The Boeing Museum”…

As fan of the Airbus but even I appreciate the “Boeing 747’s” elegance in design and shape. Nice to visit the real “Boeing Fans Heaven” for more.

I could go on and on about my Place-To-Be, but think I’ll save the rest for another time.

Be inspired by Seattle and take a pick from what this amazing city has to offer YOU…..?

 

People Who Inspire Us To Be Ourselves

One of the best feelings in the world, besides seeing the waiter finally bring your meal, when you’re absolutely starving, or finally being able to pee after a long looooong drive, is definitely hearing the encouraging words of our loved ones.

True compliments and support are what help us grow, find faith in ourselves, and enable us to believe for that moment ” Maybe you are right, I can do this”.

Some people aren’t fortunate enough to get a lot of positive feedback from their surroundings. They might need to be strong for themselves.

Give someone a compliment or an act of kindness each day. Help inspire something bigger.

Venice I Wish We Had Met Years Ago

Venice you are stunning. Each photo taken of you could be a postcard…

You are worth a visit on every day of the year. No matter if cold, rainy or blistering hot…there is always more to discover.

The carnival bringing back a childlike magic. The masked creatures continue to haunt me. But not in a bad way. More mystery than malice. Never knowing who is hiding underneath. A character portrayed to the outside river banks, to onlookers, but a character portrayed often far from the truth.

(Photo: Deborah Kolb fineartamerica.com)

 

How I long to be the only one walking across the Piazza San Marco.

For time to stand still in this beautiful city of art and history…

To take in the sound of pigeons quietly hooting…flapping their wings to take flight.

A moment of rich cultural truth…

Without a selfie stick prodding me, tour groups shuffling around me, nowhere to escape from the touristic overload. Every menu offers the same. Gondolas have lost their elegant status of romance…now just another way to make big money out of innocent visitors.

Venice, maybe we should have met at a different time….

A Brief Ode to San Francisco

I have had a major crush on this Californian city for a long time.

With plenty of good, fun hostels and posh hotels it’s a dream destination for backpackers and travelistas everywhere.

I love City’s with a sea breeze. San Francisco is a jam-packed town full of life and entertainment. But even with heavy traffic you still manage to breathe in that fresh coastal air and stay connected to nature.

With Nature Reserves like “Yosemite National Park” just a short drive away and beautiful cliffs and beaches to explore, it’s easy to get your mojo back after a stuffy week trapped in the Office.

In the city I love a walk down fisherman’s Warf, especially in the evenings.

Even though the seafood restaurants are pretty overpriced, you can still have an enjoyable tasty evening eating out there as a tourist, while watching the famous ” Bushman” scare the living daylight out of people. Fisherman’s Warf is also a definite must, if unlike me you love touristy-shops and want to bring home some souvenirs.

Walking along the Piers, maybe grab a ticket to Alcatraz an absolute must!!!( Although getting a ticket might not be all too casual ,best to book in advance!)

During the day I often grab a sandwich and head out with my newest book to “Golden Gate Park” for a picnic. Or have a jog around the place.

It’s just a beautifully, looked after space of greenery and a perfect get away from all the concrete.

 

The San Francisco city-center has so much to see and experience, apart from good shopping opportunities.

From the “Transamerica Pyramid” to a whole lot of street art. This town is humming with interesting architecture and arty detail.

What people mostly don’t expect is the cold winds even in the summer months of July, August so be sure to pack as sweater. The coldest I have been was in this city, due to being totally unprepared for it.

But as Mark Twain said:

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”…..

Illness Guilt

1. It’s that time again.

I turned green and was sent home immediately with fever. Stomach infection my doctor told me.

(Photo: appletozebra.com)

I was expecting images to flash before me. Lying on couch, with hot cocoa, chicken broth being served every few hours and a sitcom to keep me entertained…

An old friend of mine says he welcomes being sick with open arms. He gets to be taken care of by mum. Bit of fussing here and fussing there. Feeling taken care of.It’s our body’s time for rest and rejuvenation.

Weird. In theory I think it sounds right and is the most positive approach. But in the real situation I am afraid I feel very much different from snugly.

And I don’t mean the physical symptoms nausea, blocked lungs and nasal passages, fever.

I get very emotional in time of illness.

Firstly the feeling of being physically weak, makes me all vulnerable and pretty much winey. I feel like a complete waste of space not being able to go for long walk, meet with people etc.

The fact that when I’m ill it’s often me alone in my flat does not make it a more pleasurable situation. Samantha from Sex and the City pinpointed the feeling to perfection wining and sneezing on poor Carrie who was taking care of her for the day.

“We’re all alone Carrie!!!”

Video Clip here!

Then I am also taken over by the worst thing. And last thing a person needs. Guilt. The guilt of having to call in sick. The guilt of being the ill one. Fear of maybe being punished for not being able to dive into my work tasks.

This guilt is conditioned, by my school life as a child. Our Teachers were never loving and concerned for our wellbeing. We were treated often like a sty in their eye if we didn’t attend lessons, due to flu etc.

One missed homework assignment left us feeling guilty…Built up over the years.

Some of us just needed support and empathy…

Being ill we aren’t all alone. But we feel all alone and helpless.

Nostalgia to Our Ears

So I’ll be sitting on the bus happily listening to a funky tune, loving life, the sun is shining my mood is up.

Suddenly shuffle throws me a song my body and mind was absolutely not prepared for.

My mood pretty quickly changes and I find myself, all choked up, nearly sobbing.

The song is just so beautiful…Beautifully sad.

Bad song! Bad, bad song!!! But in such a good way!

Why is it doing this to me? Why the hell am I doing this to myself? I could just switch over to something happy and upbeat…

But there is something about a sad tune that is so addictive. Our soul opens up and we can just let go and indulge in our feelings. Feelings that we often lock away at work, lock away from society to save for a later moment.

Music has so much power. The power to motivate us, change our mood for the better, but also to throw us back to a time long ago..

Igniting bittersweet feelings of nostalgia. Leaving us longing for a lost love, a better time, a place we used to be happy. Igniting in us a homesickness, we forgot we even had.

Its our choice to listen and let the music sink into us…changing our inner being, clutching tight around our stomach and heart.

Or maybe press “FWD” and hope for a happier beat…

 

“Tropical Heaven Tulum”Part 1:

To escape the November-chills, I packed my case full of thin, cotton summer wear, two bikinis, three good books and got on the next non-stop flight from Frankfurt to Cancun.

From there I took the local “ADO-Bus”( by far the cheapest option) and drove down the Mexican-carribean coast to Tulum.

I opted for a rustic beach-cabana, to unleash my inner bush woman.

The room was simple but clean, with a mosquito net hanging over the bed. The ceilings woven out of dried palm leaves.

The tap and shower water was sea-water.

Which didn’t bother me in the slightest, but as a woman who likes a good grooming was not something I could get used to forever.

The next day I woke up and then wondered if I had really woken up or maybe died in my sleep and gone straight up to heaven, because the scenery was just heavenly.

It was so unspoiled by tourists and big buildings…although all that is starting to come.

Ten years ago this coastal strip was only inhabited by a few locals, but now there are quite a few holiday resort cabanas along the beach and a whole lot of bars, cafes and restaurants.
 The most annoying part were definitely the Taxis.

400 Taxis all together are driving up and down the Town area beeping at anyone who could be a foreigner.

They definitely do not understand, that if needed, they will be approached.

But away from the road and back to the beach.

There the rest of society can for a moment be completely forgotten and you can concentrate on everything that is beautiful in nature and in life…

If hungry I’d grab some delicious fresh vegetarian or fish Tapas from “Taqueria La Eufemia” or in evenings get s cab down to the most amazing Italian restaurant“Posada Margherita” which had better food than some of the Italian restaurants in Italy I’ve been to. White wooden floorboards lit up with little candles and fairy lights it was a great date-setting. Or for any evening to remember.

 ( photo from caperleaves.nl)

That place has a small menu. But each and every dish is done to perfection.

Its better to have a handful of exquisite signature dishes then a lot of mainstream dishes.

This holiday destination is made for outside living only!

Because when it rains, not only water comes through the wood-works…

To be continued …

Grateful That We Met…

I am always surprised by how things turn out.

We meet new people on a daily basis. Many people. Mostly brief encounters. Waiting in line for our daily coffee. Asking a kind looking face for directions. Or bumping into somebody in the street and then apologizing for it.

Many encounters we have are quickly forgotten.

“We met. I kept on going about my business. Filtered you out of my thoughts and replaced you with a more important topic needing attention. Sorry…it all happened subconsciously”

Sometimes we meet someone we instantly bond with for a few hours at a party, a day at work or a moment sharing the same struggles.

We think that we will definitely stay in contact with these acquaintances only to smile to ourselves when we notice” Gosh I never did see her again…Never heard from him again.”

Sometimes people we were sure it would be “so different “ with. People we really hit it off with.

These people might have been great for the moment. And it was fun and great they were there at that time, but to join us in the story which is “The story of our lives” ..? Well for those roles other people have been and are being casted.

People we look back at later and think” We were bound to meet sooner or later. Destiny brought us together. We helped each other grow so much at that time of our lives”.

People, animals even that fill us with so much joy, laughter and zest for life, we can just be grateful for the time we have together.

We never know for how long the encounter is meant to be.

Live in the moment!

A Special Thanks to All The Ladies & Gents following Us!

To all creative Bloggers who have followed us so far!

Thank you for taking your time to read and comment!

Together we can share information. Learn from each other and grow! As Bloggers but also as EVERYDAY-HUMANS!

Stay motivated and keep writing!

All the best

Alice