lifestyle
Red brick road
My boyfriend is snoring, so instead of trying to sleep I embrace the opportunity to write. My mind was occupied anyway with memories and random thoughts, so why not write it down instead?
Last weekend me and my boyfriend went to Poland. It was a great trip, where we had four whole days to do whatever we wanted. We managed to do some sightseeing, try an escape room for the first time, and take a day-trip to Berlin. The city we travelled to in Poland is called Szczecin, just a 2,5 hour bus drive to Germany`s capital city. Since it was cold, we did not see everything that was there, but we took the “red walk”, seeing some of the main attractions.
The so called “red walk” connects nearly all the attractions within the centre. This is by far the best way to discover the centre on foot, as all attractions are marked by a number (there are about 40) on the pavement, so you won’t miss one. At each of them there is a sign explaining some details about the sights.
Like Dorothy in the wizard of oz, we were safely taken to our targets by following the red lines. My shoes were sadly not red and pretty (and not very warm), but it was still a nice walk.
Szczecin is a pretty city, regardless of its unpronounceable name.
The creativity (and humor) of the hard-working Polish people also manifested itself on the bus to Berlin. There was a little menu describing what we could buy if we got hungry or thirsty, and on it there was a small addition: You could get a friendly neighbor for free!
Every city has something special, but the people you travel with makes the exploration of it even more memorable and exciting . I am glad I came to this part of Poland that I knew nothing about, happy to have seen the world through Polish eyes. Although I`ve read that the country has its problems, like a high unemployment rate, Poland still manages to show itself from its best side. Maybe a hard life makes people focus on what is good in life? We all know that people who look at the bright side and build on their strength when life gets difficult, can achieve great things. Painting the road with red lines might not seem like something groundbreaking, but it is clever.
I could have written a lot more about the trip, but will leave it for now. I can`t wait to go and explore more of the world. For now, I will just remember the weekend and soak up creativity whenever I encounter it.
Some Of The Most Inspirational Quotes of All-Time
#23 Theodore Roosevelt on the Importance of Belief
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” ~Theodore Roosevelt | Tweet this
The power of belief can’t be overstated, and it’s summed up nicely here. Without belief you’ll never get there, so believing that you can is crucial to the process. Believing that you can do it summons the forces of the universe behind you to help you along. Doubting yourself and whether or not you can do it means that you’ll only give half-hearted effort, and you won’t be nearly as powerful as you could be. Belief can come with time, so don’t feel you have to believe you can do it all, just believe that you can accomplish the first step in getting there.
#24 Napoleon Hill Shares the Best Time to Start
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” ~Napoleon Hill | Tweet this
It always seems like something’s just not right in order to start something new in your life. But the timing may never be perfect, you just have to get it started so that things can begin to develop. You make things right as you go along, and you tinker with the process to account for what’s not perfect. As things pick up steam and build momentum you’ll realize that the “just right thinking was just an excuse to delay the start or procrastinate. You’ll thank yourself for starting even though it seemed like it wasn’t the best time to do so.
#25 George Addair on Getting Everything You Want
“Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” ~George Addair | Tweet this
Imagine there’s a door marked Fear and behind that door is all of the things you’ve wished for all of your life. You try to open the door and it’s locked. The key is overcoming that fear so that you can have the things you want and be the person you’ve always wanted to be. Fear is a tricky demon to exorcise. It’s different for each of us, and isn’t always a very strong feeling. It is sometimes a low-level vibration, that slight underlying feeling of dread that bubbles up when thinking of doing something new or venturing into the unknown.
#26 Karen Lamb on Getting Started Today
“A year from now you may wish you had started today.” ~Karen Lamb | Tweet this
What things did you start a year ago that you’re glad you started back then? If nothing comes to mind it’s high time you start something today that you can be proud of a year from now. If you’ve already got something in the works, project things out a year from now and imagine how excited you’ll be that you already got it going. A year is a long enough time to see some real progress in your efforts, and you are often enjoying the fruits of your labors from a year ago or more. Start something today if you don’t have any irons in the fires.
#27 George Eliot on Staying Optimistic
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” ~George Eliot | Tweet this
As long as you’re alive it’s not too late to become the person you really want to be. No matter how bad you might have screwed things up in the past, or no matter how far off course you’ve gotten from what you really want to do, you can always turn it around. It doesn’t take an overhaul in most cases. You can start taking steps towards being what you might have been today. Start implementing little actions into your daily routine to make up for the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
#28 Roger Staubach on the Benefit of Giving More
“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” ~Roger Staubach | Tweet this
Not many people go the extra mile, which makes it easy for the rest of us to get to where we want to go. They say it’s lonely at the top, and this is because few people ever make it that far. Going the extra mile is part of that process, and it’s a habit you can start getting into right away if it’s not currently a part of your makeup. Try it out on a small scale in your personal relationships, or at your current job. As you make it a habit you’ll notice more and more opportunities to go above and beyond, and you’ll be able to accomplish more and more.
#29 Teddy Roosevelt on How and Where to Start
“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” ~Teddy Roosevelt | Tweet this
This is a great way to look around you and see what it is you can do with the resources you have on hand right now. Don’t say things like “if only I had this… or “I need to do that before I can do that… as these are just clever ways of putting things of to a future point that never comes. The fact is there are things you could be doing right now that will further your endeavors. Work on those and everything will start to fall in place, you’ll be where you need to be, and you’ll have what you need to have to get bigger things done.
#30 John Madden on Getting to Easy Street
“The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.” ~John Madden | Tweet this
It’s often enticing to dream of Easy Street as having finally made it. But Madden reminds that it’s no picnic getting there, and you have to pay your dues. Things do become easier, but you may have to put up with a lot of stinky situations before getting there. Most people will give up before getting there, and spend too much time in the sewer, thinking that Easy Street is just a pipe dream. But the unpleasant parts are just a way of weeding out those that really want the prize from those that only talk about wanting it.
#31 Frederick Douglass on What Struggle Means
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” ~Frederick Douglass | Tweet this
Struggle often feels like a lack of progress, so it’s nice to turn it on its head and realize that it’s actually the way progress is made. If you’re not struggling you’re probably not challenging yourself enough. The important part is not to let struggle deter you from making that progress. Step one is learning to view struggling as a positive thing, rather than a negative thing. Then you won’t be so hard on yourself if you find that you’re struggling again. It just means you’re learning, growing, and taking on enough to keep you busy.
#32 Tim Ferriss on Doing What You Fear
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” ~Tim Ferriss | Tweet this
You can use your fear to point you in the direction of what is most important to you, rather than be hard on yourself for feeling fear in the first place. If you aren’t afraid of doing something, it generally means you don’t find it very important, or you wouldn’t have that fear. In this way fear can help us drill down to the things that we simply must do. Part of that is going to entail getting over that fear, or learning to live with it so that you can still get the things done that need getting done.
#33 Elbert Hubbard on How to Avoid Criticism
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” ~Elbert Hubbard | Tweet this
It’s easy enough to get people to criticize you, just try something, say something, or be something. Most are at home criticizing what others do and say without offering their own opinions or actions. That’s why it’s silly to worry about getting criticized. What you should really worry about is not being criticized, because that means you’re not putting enough of yourself out there to face the criticism. Over time you’ll be able to brush off criticism that has no merit, and learn from the criticism which can help you grow. It’s hard at first, because your feelings might get hurt from the initial onslaught, but it does get easier.
Planning ahead
I have a really bad headache but hope that the paracetamol will kick in soon. I have so many things to organize! My list is getting shorter every day. Next Tuesday I’m organizing a day in the park for families with free barbeque-food and refreshments. I have to buy a lot of stuff and need to find people willing to volunteer. I have already recruited some people and hope more will be willing to help. In addition to barbequing, there will be face painting and competing. I really hope that the weather will be good! The weather forecast predicts cloudy weather with a bit of sun, but it can suddenly change. If it starts to rain, we can end the event earlier and postpone it. I want to try to organize something like this later this summer, too, and hope that we can get some sponsors. Luckily there are many energetic people here, that want to make life better for others. I hope that organizing activities like these for everyone, will bring people together. Mental health depends on living a meaningful life together with others, and if you manage to inspire anxious and lonely people, they get a chance to heal. 
Like I have written before, I want medication to just be a supplement to more extensive therapy. In my view, we also need to change attitudes and prejudices influencing us at an unconscious level. The best way to do this, is by engaging people and empowering them. Marthin Luther King and Gandhi, both inspired others and changed attitudes step by step. So can we.
The sound of Spanish Rhytms
I sit next to one of my best friends in a bar in Barcelona. Rhytms are pulsing through the room, and a spanish flamenco-dancer move like an elegant swan on a lake. The spotlight shines on the red dots on her black dress as she swirls around, the skirts following her.
We are in Barcelona for three days, and we have been sightseeing most of the day. When we came back to the hotel, we wanted to find out if there was something to do that evening, and after some research decided to attend a flamenco show. We didn’t have much time, so we took a taxi to the area we thought would be about right. The taxi driver was of the chatty type and cheerfully told us there had been a murder right next to where we lived. With this cozy story in mind we weren`t in the best mood when we came out of the taxi. The happiness was further stilted when we realized we were still quite far away from the adress to the flamenco show. We didn`t`think we would find it before it started, but incredible enough, we made it after running like two crazy maniacs. Is there a better way to prepare for an energetic evening? We walked into the room, that we first didn`t believe could be the right one. But when we came a bit further, we saw to our relief that it was. In the first room there was a plathora of dresses in every color imaginable. There were even some dresses for small children.
Before the show started we had a great refuelling Spanish-style dinner. Then the show started. We sucked it all in, like leeches always thirsty for more. I know Birgit loved every minute of it. She has danced since she could walk, but haven`t had the chance to do much dancing since she became a wife, mother and psychology student. Today, two lears later, she has finally started to dance again. I smile at her, knowing nothing of what came later in her life. The child that will be born and die 7 hours later. The divorce from her husband. The smile that she still manage to put on her beautiful face.
Mirrorgirl 
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