These are trying times. With many people either in lockdown or under the conditions of the virus measures, this is a major drain on our mental health.
Even when life hasn’t changed that much, like Tom’s and mine, it is obvious that the mere fact we can’t do as we please causes discomfort and confusion.
Is true happiness possible in times like this? I think it is, but let’s be honest and realistic – it asks for more effort.
Effort? Isn’t being happy not just something you are or are not?
Tom and I celebrated our 45th anniversary in 2021. For a long time, we hardly celebrated our anniversaries, which isn’t very smart. Because if we don’t celebrate our successes and acknowledge them, we diminish them. That’s one of the secrets for a happy marriage: celebrate!
Being together for such a long time and still being curious about each other and loving and respecting each other can be marked as quite an accomplishment.
This year was special because we had to deal with a Fase 1 Flexibilizada lockdown and its restrictions. We used to eat out on our wedding anniversary day, but during the lockdown, the restaurants were partly closed. They were only allowed to open the terrace, not the inside, and we don’t want to be on the terrace with smokers all around us.
We did go out though – we went to the bakery for bread and en passant we took tea with cake in a corner.
Let it be a coincidence, but from the day we moved into our new house, the weather has been absolutely marvelous. It turns out this type of weather has a name in Spain: Veroño. It’s a mix of verano and otoño – summer and autumn. They call it like this when the temperatures are way higher than they … Read more
After a week of puzzling and thinking I know how my study should look like. So now I am building it up. I am so content with all the work we have managed to get done today. Despite the ride to Lorca, we made as well; the printer had no more paper and the cartridges … Read more
We bought a house today!! We are sooo happy that in the end, we did succeed to find something we both like. It was an enduring process but really worthwhile the effort. Given all the houses we saw and lived in this is the best house so far. We had to change some of the … Read more
When we were in the Netherlands we bought a couple of chocolate letters. Of course an A and a D for the kids. But also some general ones as a present. In the Netherlands, it is custom to give these letters when it’s Sinterklaas. Usually the first letter of one’s name. Today we went to … Read more
We are so happy! The chainsmoking neighbors are back to France, so we could move the table back to the down terrace. Having breakfast on the upper terrace was fine as well, but downstairs there is more to look at because we can see the boulevard. The weather is absolutely gorgeous at the moment. This … Read more
In the Netherlands, you hardly hear people singing in the street. Professional street singers excepted of course. Now that we are located in the middle of a village, I often hear singing at the end of the day. Usually, it’s an older man or woman strolling at ease on the boulevard. In my – still … Read more
It was hairdresser time for me again. I asked the girl to be careful with my ears – there shouldn’t come any water in. And she had the most brilliant solution. They looked like fake ears, but in reality were some kind of cups that I held, while she was washing my hair. My ears … Read more
Today I have set a personal record! Touching my knees with my nose during the Seated Forward Bend, also known as Paschimottanasana. Last year I had an injury due to extensive walking (10.000 steps daily) on the wrong shoes. It took me a couple of months of physiotherapy and exercise to recover. Instead of quitting … Read more