About youth and a greener Europe

«The 11 European Youth Goals summarise the issues that affect young people in Europe and (…) that show in which areas change still has to happen so that young people in Europe can use their full potential.»

10. Sustainable Green Europe 
This goal refers to achieving a society in which all young people are environmentally active, educated and able to make a difference in their everyday lives.

I know this is such a big topic and sometimes we feel like that as a single person we can’t do enough. But the truth is that we can. Because if every single one of us takes the action, at the end we can make a big difference all together. I’m going to give you some examples about simple actions that I follow in my everyday life to try to make our planet a bit more sustainable and clean.

Buying local and seasonal products, preferably on a market, at a farmer in your town, from the bakery, butcher or fisherman. For example, talking about fruits and vegetables I really don’t see the point why we need to have strawberries or melons in winter time coming from the other side of the world. The beauty of eating seasonal and local is that throughout the year you have this bunch of variety. And it also makes every single fruit and vegetable more special.

Eating everything but in a moderate way. Have you asked yourself why there are so many vegetarians and vegans nowadays? My answer to this is that when there is one extreme there has also to be the opposite extreme. This means that as there are so many people that eat meat every day, that there has also to be the complete meat avoiders to make sure that there is some balance. In my opinion the right way would be a balanced diet for everyone but I’m not going to dig deep into this topic today. Fact is that the production of meat and other animal products has come to a point where it is neither environmentally nor ethically sustainable…

Avoiding plastic. I know this is a big challenge sometimes, mostly also related to economic possibilities, but try. I’m happy that supermarkets at least got to understand that packing bio fruits and vegetables in plastic packaging to be recognized as such is just contradictory. Nowadays you have everywhere this reusable net-bags for fruits and veggies and they are just great, not only to avoid plastic bags, but also because they let their content breath. I also never saw the point why we need to have plastic in between cheese or ham slices. Also if you live in a country where you can drink tab water, just do so instead of buying plastic bottles. Even if you can’t drink the water directly from the tab, you can cook it first. And if you need a bottle just get one of those aluminium ones. And of course there is much more you can do.

Avoiding palm oil. Since some years I don’t buy any products that contain palm oil to contribute to avoid the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest due to the plantations of palms for the palm oil production. It’s incredible in which products you can find it. It’s basically everywhere. I think it’s a real shame that known brands like Ferrero don’t change the ingredients of their products (like Nutella) to avoid the use of palm oil. A good example is Tuc that some years ago switched to sunflower oil for their salty crackers. 

Returning system. I think this should exist in every country: a returning system for bottles and glasses. I don’t understand why such a little amount of countries in Europe has adopted this system. In my eyes it’s perfect to avoid a big part of plastic and other trash. I mean from juice, over water, to tomato sauce, milk, yoghurt, and so on, everything can already be found in glass containers, so why not creating a returning system for all these?

Well I guess there is much more to say, and much more you can do but I guess the most important is that everyone contributes in some way. We all should be interested in making a difference to enhance not only our own quality of life, but as well the one of future generations. We should be aware of the consequences of our actions and make responsible choices in every matter of our life, to empower a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle amongst our society.

Lena C.

Did you know?

In Latvia there is a tradition every spring to collect and drink the juice of a birch tree.

It is naturally abundant in the tree at this time of year, and the tree is happy to nurture us with a lot of vitamins and minerals.

The birch sap tastes almost like water when it is fresh, and it gets more sour after some time, but still good and drinkable.

I have enjoyed this wonder of Nature since I was little. I remember helping my dad drill the holes in trees and set up the containers.

Another tree to get a very tasty and good juice from is the maple tree.

Apparently the people in Austria don’t take juices from trees, but that’s OK, they have other wonders – like the Apfelstrudel, for example!

Latvian Birch Sap – Time For Latvia
Extraction of the birch sap.

Kaspars.

Sailing Sights

L’école des Glénans is a french sailing association, one of the biggest and most well known in Europe.

They operate mainly from the eponymous archipel des glénans, an archipelago located off the coast of Concarneau, south of Brittany. However, they have several other bases across the country: one near Vannes, one at Paimpol, and two at Marseillan and Bonifacio, in the Mediterranean sea.

They offer classes of usually one or two weeks, on various supports ranging from small dinghies and sailboards to actual keelboats and yachts.

An interesting part of the school is that it aims to be more than a sailing club: it tries to teach the people who joins it, not only about sail and boats, but about the sea, nature, and life.

The archipelago is small and isolated from the mainland, linked only by a few boats. Most of the day-to-day activities, such as food preparation and cleaning, are accomplished by the trainees themselves, who are expected to participate in those supervised activities a set number of days during their week.

The organization also tried, especially in later years, to develop environmental awareness, and a sense of responsibility toward the sea and ecology, through various studies and workshops.

But the big specificity of this school is its extreme reliance on volunteering.

Beyond a small group of around 100 employees, most of the activities are accomplished by volunteers. This include most of the teaching, fleet and site maintenance, cooking, opening and closing the bases for winter, supplying the isolated isles with food and material, animation, and much more. All in all, it’s more than a thousand volunteers from every age and background that comes every year to make the association run.

It’s the first place I volunteered in, and probably one of the big reasons why I am currently here. So, with the sea now far away and all activities cancelled because of the virus, I thought I might as well share a bit of illustrated nostalgia.

two 5.7 training keelboats, with its emblematic white-and-red sails.
Sereine, the eldest training yacht of the association
Mélusine, another familiar sight, in the Morbihan Gulf
Another yach, with spinnaker out
Small laser Solo in action
Penfret, the main island from the Glenans archipelago. The buildings and tents can welcome hundreds of trainees at once during summer.
Fort cigogne, an old bastion in the center of the archipelago, reconverted as a sailing base. Comfy looking from the outside
Archipel, an old sailing boat and now the ship used to resupply the isolated islands from the mainland
Volunteers handling supply cargo. A frequent and necessary sight.

Nicolas

Funny Spanish expressions and proverbs

If you are not that familiar with my mothertongue, we are really funny and different from the rest of Europe. Fun fact, Spain is the only European country with African cities. It is also one of the countries with more types of cultures with the same roots. But you know what I like the most? Expressions. The Spanish imagination is so powerful and you won’t believe how we see the world.

Spanglish

These expressions and proverbs have equivalents in English but we change a few things or maybe we absolutely turn the whole phrase:

  • Talking to the Devil: In Spain we don’t say the Devil, we Talk about the king of Rome (Hablando del rey de Roma).
  • A word is enough to the wise: Well, maybe the Spanish needs more. To good clever-man, few words are needed (A buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan).
  • Barking dogs never bite: Our dogs do! But less of course. Barking dog, less biter (Perro ladrador, poco mordedor).
  • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket: True meaning of life but Spaniards play cards: Don’t gamble all to one card (No te la juegues a una carta).
  • It’s raining cats and dogs: WHAT?! Animal rain? No! We have pots on the sky. It rains pots (Llover a cántaros).
  • One man’s meat is another man’s poison: We don’t even know what that means. Spanish have more to say: Talking about taste, nothing is written or Talking about taste, colours (Para gustos no hay nada escrito or Para gustos, colores).
  • Birds of a feather flock together: You have to know that we are religious. So we say God grow them together and they meet (Dios los cría juntos y ellos se juntan).
  • Monkey see, monkey do: Religious, but… we like to enjoy dirty things. We say Butt I see, butt I want (Culo veo, culo quiero).

The pure Spanish

Did you like the comparison? I might be wrong but none of this exists in any other language. They are for sure really creative:

  • Being a bad-luck bird: Exactly that! We talk too much and maybe we attract the bad luck, so always speak positive (Ser pájaro de mal agüero).
  • Thin dog all-cover by fleas: The bad luck always strikes to the weak one. Remember, stay brave and positive or the bad thoughts will come for you! (A perro flaco, todos son pulgas).
  • Having almond milk in veins: Actually there’s more than almond milk to those lazy and slow people in the blood. Can you imagine a human with almond milk in the blood? Or air? Or just lack of blood? (Tener horchata/aire en las venas or No tener sangre).
  • Bread is bread and wine is wine: Let’s be clear, things are the way they are. Don’t change your perspective of reality or the name of the things (Al pan pan y al vino vino).
  • Every owl to their olive tree: Isn’t it funny?! This only means to take people to their houses or the places where they belong. Guys, the party is over (Cada mochuelo a su olivo).
  • Sew and sing: English is famous with their piece of cake or their cup of tea. Who haven’t heard of the easy-pease? Well, we have also one thing less tasty (Coser y cantar).
  • When you become father, you’ll eat eggs: Listen to your parents. You don’t know but they are right in some way (Cuando seas padre, comerás huevos).
  • To put wood in the bonfire: You know those people who like to see the world burn? These people like to make worse a bad situation (Echar leña al fuego). They also Put lemon juice in wounds or Touch the wounds (Echar lemón a las heridas or Meter el dedo en la herida).
  • To talk with the elbows: Mouth is overrated. The most talkative people speak with their elbows (Hablar por los codos).
  • Going blind: Well, not exactly blind, but we drink and we turn really crazy. This is getting drunk (Ir ciego). We also have Going like a trunk or Going piripi or Going fart (Ir trompa or Ir piripi or Ir pedo).
  • To take the cat to the water: Something imposible, like taking the cat to the water. Congratulations! (Llevarse el gato al agua).
  • Bad weed never dies: Yes, bad people will always come more and more until something must change. These guys… (Mala hierva nunca muere).
  • To kill the worm: English has a repetitive song in the head, but our worm is called “starving”. Eat snacks and kill the worm (Matar el gusanillo).
  • To wet myself: It’s nothing dirty -this time-, but being the brave one to bet something important or get implicated in something (Mojarse).
  • I can’t translate this one: German speakers! This is for you! Do you use So lala? Then we have Ni fu ni fa. Literally, Neither fu or fa. We don’t go good (fu) and we don’t go bad (fa).
  • Don’t give your arm to bend: We like our arms the way they are. This means to let the things we as they are and being strict like a mountain. Parents don’t let their children go crazy and Spanish parents dont give their arms to bend (No dar el brazo a torcer).
  • We were a few so the grandma gave birth: People like to join everywhere. This means to take part in a really full event or group (Éramos pocos y parió la abuela).
  • To put dots over the i: Sit on the chair and let me be clear with you. This party-pooper means to let the things clear (Poner los puntos sobre las íes).
  • To take the chesnuts out of the fire: You see we are crazy, so someone must be the adult and save the people. This means that you save someone from his problems (Sacar las castañas del fuego).

Wow that was a lot. There are a really lot of more. You can search for more or you can ask if you liked this post! I hope you had fun with all these hilarious expressions. Remember this Al mal tiempo, buena cara or else: put your best face to the worst weather.

José M. Gómez

On this Sunday … have a faith from spring!

Nice sunny weathers have given us chance to get out (even if its a bit) and to enjoy the sun and fresh spring feeling. This will be very refreshing and game changer, if:

you enjoy at the moment
letting sun to pet your face
giving your ears a melody from birds
feeling the warmness and freshness in the air

Fresh(er) you and fresh(er) ideas! This means, you are now loaded with inspiration… inspiration to create a hope .. for yourself .. or for the whole world!?

Keep creating and share the inspiration!

#have #a #faith #in #2020

Staying with the earth

Since 27 days we practices: „Stay at home, save lives“. The most diffiult thing in this time for me is: not to go into the wood, not to lay on the gras, not to lean on a tree….. I need the nature as much as my friends and my family. Since Tuesday we are allowed to go a little bit farer and so maybe this weekend I could be in the forest!

Meanwhile I appriciate the clean air here in Innsbruck! There are no aroplanes, less cars and so the are is free from CO2 and polushion.

In the last days I often heard: Earth is breathing!

So – every coin has two sides: as bad as this crisis is, it means a breath fort he environment. CO2 emissions are falling, the water is clearer than ever and every day we hear about dolphins and other fish in ports, where normaly only large cruise ships sail.

So for one or two or ten minutes I invite you to stay with the earth and to recognize this changing.

Standing with the earth  „is a call collectively to pause from action, to stand in silence, listen to and connect with the Earth, humbly acknowledging and deeply sensing our interbeing – a starting point for any measure taken to meet the urgent problems of our time.“ https://standing-with-the-earth.com/

I got to know this form of activism two years ago and I am very impresed about this very simple format. „It could be that silently reconnecting with the Earth is the most radical thing we can do.“

The founders want to implement a ritual into the field of political activism and in every day life. So also in times of Corona it is possible to STAY WITH THE EARTH and be activ. This could be a daily or weekle routine.

On 22th of April there will be the annual Earth Day. All over the world people will celebrate our big blue planet and our connection to the earth with diffenent rituals, formats and activities. In time of Corona we can use the format: Staying with the earth.

So I invite you to do so on the 22th of April at 11.50 o’clock. Together we will stay 10 Minutes with the earth to say thank you, to recoginze the changings and „to just stand with this violated planet, acknowledging and feeling her wounds, as well as her healing power, sensing that we are inseparably connected, that we are the Earth.“ I am shure: the earth will answer – so let‘s listen.

Happy Easter – Martina POJAT

Let’s dive into Angers

Ahaha! You expected me to do a “let’s dive into Reddit” or even a “let’s dive into Linkedin” right? (Well, I don’t exclude making these ideas later, but that’s not the point today)

This week, I caught myself thinking about my french hometown, Angers, and what it meant to me. In these troubled and sometimes lonely times, it is sometimes essential to go back to basics, to what defines us and who built us. Among these elements, the city where I lived has a very important place in my heart. For its culture, its diversity, but also its beauty. Of course, any English speaker will bring the name of Angers closer to that of the word “anger”: it is nevertheless the least present feeling in me when I think of it. If it is impossible for me to present it entirely to you via a blog article, I will nevertheless try to pay tribute to it through a few images of monuments or inseparable places in this city. Let’s go.

Angers Castle

One of the best known and most representative buildings in Angers. A whole historic complex located in the center of the city, which further accentuates this feeling of border between the old and the new, which symbolizes the city in general.

Saint-Maurice Cathedral

This cathedral is a testament to Angevin Gothic art. From the bottom of the Saint-Maurice steps, admire its façade. A must.

Adam’s House

The oldest house in the city. This half-timbered house will amaze you.

Ralliement Place

This aptly named place (“Ralliement” meaning gathering in English) is the nerve center of Angers. Beyond its theater and cafes, many events are organized there, whatever the season.

The Mail Garden

One of the best place to walk around on spring times.

The borders of the Maine

The advantage of living in a city cut in half by a river is that it offers you landscapes and multiple development opportunities. It is very pleasant to walk there in hot weather.

BONUS

A video produced by a resident of the city. It is emphasized on the surrounding landscapes of the city, which are almost as important as the city itself. Enjoy.

Simon LD

Type your novel

Now we now ourself, now we learn from courses, books and other cultural references; It is time to let our mind go. In this post, I will give you some tips to start to write. Writing is a creative way to use the computer and calm your mind. Yes, writing is a good exercise to balance your mind and emotions! Let’s go to the tips.

Genre

First of all, you must stablish what would you like to write. Some people start directly to the topic, because they had an idea. That’s perfect! But some others have difficulties to know how to focus on a direction or maybe they come up with no ideas. So this is a good start if you don’t have ideas. Also, knowing about the structure can help you to develop your story.

  • Poetry: Do you feel introvert or you have words to express your feelings and the beauty? Poetry is based on the music and the whole art essence. This genre gives you a lot of freedom and the creativity is really rewarded. Exactly, you can be abstract, classic or just what you want! There’s almost no rules in modern poetry. The two mains are prose (the most narrative) and verse (the short sentences we all know).
  • Theatre: Probably the most complicated structure but the easiest to read in my opinion. This genre takes a lot of realistic situations, so a common story or anecdote is the perfect theatre. Play with the enviroment and imagine that you would have to performance the plot. That can be hard or really easy. But here’s the difficult: theatre has a strong structure. First, we divide the story in “acts”; You can say, every important event is divided in acts. Then, the “stage directions” are the second most important thing in theatre; They are the actions and the enviroment, a guide to the reader to know what is going on. And finally and the most important to me, “dialogues”. There are theatre with no dialogues and theatre with no enviroment/actions, but this is the center of the interaction between characters. There are three basic stories: comedy (happy story with happy ending), drama (hard story with happy ending) and tragedy (hard story with hard ending).
  • Novel: The most famous of all! Some people believe that novels are the easiest way to write a story and the most favourite lecture. There are a lot of genres to write in novel: romantic, fantasy, Science Fiction, thriller, drama… There’s no limits! You just need to combine the story telling of the action, descriptions and dialogues. This is similar to the theatre, but longer and “more abstract”. This is literally that statement from the people: “Start writing something!”.

Story

Now you know what genre do you want to try, it’s time to structure your idea. Even in poetry we follow a narrative! The classic is divided in “introduction” where we introduce the characters and the plot, the “heart” where the whole story happens, and the “ending” where everything is solved and come to an end. If you are used to or you want to try more models I give you three mores. The flashback structure is the same as the previous one, but we write shorts stories between the main story to explain the past; This is very common in films, isn’t it? The “In media res” is a weird sentence to write a we-start-in-the-middle-of-the-action novel. Then where is the introduction if we start from the heart? It can be next to explain how the characters ended up in the middle of the story, or it can be after the ending. This can give you a different opinion of what you felt with the ending and making it thrilling… And finally, the “in extremis” writing. You start literally from the end. Thus you have a reason to explain what happened or just the story before the main character is about to end the story. Confusing? Imagine to start a film where a hero is about to kill a dragon. Before the final cut, he tells the story until he finally cuts the head.

Characters

Yes, your story must have characters. Watch out! We didn’t say people. Your characters can also be animals like the fairy-tales or emotions/concepts like Inside Out. You need a protagonist (someone who moves the story) and antagonist (someone who has stablished the conflict). The protagonist can be a hero, a villain, an antihero between hero and villain… And the same for the antagonist. The synergy between these two create the perfect plot. You can see that Superman is the opposite to Lex Luthor, but you can also see that Iron-Man and Captain America in Civil War they were fighting besides they are two heroes.

Secondly, the are the side-characters or secondary characters. Here’s my first recommendation: even if they don’t look important to the story, good side-characters made a complete story. In essence, the side-characters focus on the minimun develop of the story and the relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist. Giving more importance to the side-character than the mains characters is a big mistake, be careful! They can be friends, slaves that obey the main character, masters to teach the characters… You can think in Han Solo from Star Wars, Mushu from Mulan or Gandalf from The Lord of the Rings.

Finally, there’s another sort of character: the third-character or the enviromental character. Literraly the extras in a film. They just give you the consecuences of the actions that the main and side characters did. They do not work on the story at all.

Extra things

These can be called the “context”. You must think in time: Is it irrelevant? If it is relevant, in which period of our human-history would you place it? Does it combine past and future? There are no correct answers. You can make a story without telling when takes on; You can make it in a right/hypothetical past or what you think the future can be if something happens; Or you can combine times: knights with guns, armoured troglodytes, romans cowboys…

Then place it in somewhere. It can happen in simple places like a house or really complex world that you imagined. This place can be realistic. For example, you want to make a story in Paris, in Austria or in Europe. The place can be fictional. This means that it is a place we all know, but you changed something. Did you imagine samurais in Africa? Mayans in Middle-Age in Europe? Austria is flat?! And finally, the place can be imagined. This means that you create lands, rivers, mountains, cultures, religions, economies, societies, languages… This is the most interesting and the most difficult. It takes time but you will enjoy if you like to imagine. Again, there’s no limits!!

Final tipps

Did you enjoyed? Do you have an idea now? Don’t worry, this is something that you must enjoy. Do not call it “work”. Use these 4 pilars to create something that you want the most. Feel free to write, because this is the most beautiful thing that you can make to your mind: imagine like a happy child. Finally, I give you some tricks that I tell you as a writer:

  • If you are new on this, try to be the most simple that you can.
  • Find a balance between a lot of descriptions and a lack of it. I find this really difficult.
  • Do not think that you must sell your novel.
  • If you want to publish, ask to a book publisher if they want a new novel before send it.
  • Don’t write to sell. You must be original.
  • Book publishers read a random chapter, but current readers just the first one so this must have almost everything: characters, plot problem and an appealing action.
  • The synergy between protagonist and antagonist will save the worst story.
  • Read about the topic and the genre before writing. Previous books will give you an idea of how they develop or structure the story, the context and the characters.
  • This takes time, take it easy.

I hope this was useful for you. Now it is your time to create and to forget all your fears. Never stop if you find an idea!

José M. Gómez

Time to cook

I always loved cooking and baking, experimenting new recipes or creating own dishes. It is still one of my favourite times of the day standing in the kitchen and preparing something to eat, taking time for details, surprising others with my creations. This intuitive thinking, this making choices based on your own experience, this feeling confident about every movement, this reunion of all senses, it’s all just something that brings an incredible joy to my life. And it’s not anymore about having a nice and ready meal on your table, it’s about all the process and the anticipation. It’s about every little step from the planning what you want to make, over to the shopping of great ingredients, followed by all the cooking process. It’s about being aware what you are eating, where it comes from, how it is made. It’s about experiencing it with all your senses. And in best case, it’s also about sharing.
Specially in times like these I like to spend hours in the kitchen preparing food. It’s kind of a ritual for happiness. There is nothing like good food to make you smile again. But it’s also in times like these that we need inspiration, that we need inputs to try something new and not run out of ideas ending up always eating the same. Let’s variate, let’s get crazy in the kitchen, let’s make our senses travel all around the world. In this sense I collected some ideas from other volunteers and our coordinators to share with you some recipes, soul foods and inspirations to make your cooking days more adventurous. 

Pancakes – my soul food

I think I will never get enough of pancakes in my life. It’s this perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It doesn’t matter which time of the day it is, it always fits perfectly. Either salty with cheese inside the dough or filled with vegetables, or sweet with lingonberry jam, maple syrup, apples and cinnamon, strawberries and vanilla ice cream… there are just so many options that make this dish simply suitable for every taste. Also as vegan variations with banana in the dough. Simply perfect easy good mood food!

1 egg
150 ml milk
flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbs sugar
salt
butter

Wisk the egg with sugar and salt. Add the milk and mix it. Add the flour and baking powder until it has the right consitency (not too creamy and not too liquid). Bake the pancakes in a pan with butter until they are golden-brown. If you like thicker american style pancakes then start by separating the egg and whisk the egg white. After mixing all other ingredients (making the dough a bit thicker) incorporate the egg white.

Rice dishes – different variations

Always a good option if you have some vegetables or legumes and spices at home. There are so many variations that you will never get bored. Try out your favourite combinations. 

  • Green curry with broccoli and rice
https://pinchofyum.com/green-curry
  • Vegan rice pan with colourful vegetables
https://www.thegardengrazer.com/2015/02/rainbow-veggie-fried-rice.html
  • Narakagni (by Josema)

1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
Chicken/ vegetable broth
1 glas of chickpeas
Curcuma, cayenne, tabasco

Wash the rice and let it dry for 10 min. Boil water in a pot and add chicken/ vegetable broth. Once it is yellow, add the rice, a little bit of curcuma, a pinch of cayenne, chickpeas and a bit of tabasco (be careful about the spiciness). Cook it on low flame until the rice absorbed the liquid. It is recommended to serve it with a plate of goat cheese, white bread or a glass of milk. 

Semmelknödel (bread dumplings)

If you are into typical Tirolean cuisine, then you should definitely try to make dumplings. These bread dumplings for example are very tasty and you can eat them in a soup or together with a salad, or a mushrooms cream sauce, and so on. It’s also very good to cut them in thick slices and fry them in a pan with butter.

https://www.daringgourmet.com/semmel-knoedel-german-bread-dumplings/

Sweet things

It is definitely the time to make your soul a bit happier with some sweet treats. So, if you are vegan or not the next recipes will definitely inspire you for more.

  • Vegan chocolate mousse
https://biancazapatka.com/en/vegan-chocolate-mousse/

I’m always very surprised what vegan cooking options there are that I still haven’t heard about. It’s a full new world of options to discover. I mean have you ever thought about that you could replace egg white by aquafaba and that you can whip it the same way? I haven’t until today, but I will definitely try this and some other vegan tricks.

  • Marshmallow caramel puff rice bars
https://cookiesandcups.com/caramel-stuffed-krispie-treats/

Now it’s time for you to get inspired by all this different recipes and put hands on. Go to the kitchen and start with whatever you always wanted to try. Get crazy, try out things. The time for it is now!

“There is nothings less time wasting than cooking for the people you love” – Michael Pollan

Lena C.

Laugh & Meditate

In this special time I feel relieved when I can laugh. Then the tension within me is released. I want to share a great video with you which really made me laugh. In addition I was deeply impressed by this piece of creative art. Thanks to Philipp Klein for this ski video! There you go – enjoy!

Next to laughing this special time gives space to meditate. I found a touching text by Wendell Berry in the compilation “Earth Prayers” which I’d like to share:

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild thins
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry

Lukas T – POJAT