A collection of photos from recent times that didn't make it into stand-alone posts, along with a thought on how things are.
Grass is always greener in the neighbor's yard, some say. At times, I also have that feeling. It's easy to doubt how things are going, mainly when our situation isn't ideal. Since I made the last of these collections, I've had challenging moments that have triggered many could-have-beens. But the more I questioned the "ideal," the more answers I saw, only to realize that my lawn fills me with content, even if I don't own a plot of land. Instead of dwelling on negative experiences, here are a few scenes that made life better for me.
A happy place is a state of mind, but certain physical locations can definitely help. One of them I've been calling home for the past few years; Leuven continues to be grand.
Still, even here, some weeks were difficult. So, I used the weekends to look for other happy places, which tends to help, as I can bring the happiness from other places back to mine. Here are a few scenes I saw in Limburg, for example.
When I went out, at first I wondered whether the outdoors was a distraction from my problems, which later shifted to whether my problems were a distraction from the outdoors. But the more I explored what's out there, the less worried I became. It is not that all my problems went away. But questioning them either reduced the scale of hardships or made it evident that challenges can be rewarding when conquered.
In the meantime, I was also lucky to go further away,
...revisit Sudetes,
...hike around the spectacular Schneealpe,
...go as far as Taiwan,
...and also to the Netherlands again.
There, I revisited Utrecht,
...reflected on my old memories from the city, and added pleasant new ones.
Tap for a few more photos from there.
From Utrecht, I cycled back to Belgium, which was (perhaps unsurprisingly) pretty great.
Speaking of cycling, it brought many happy moments, so here are a few snaps with the bike that facilitated them.
It wasn't just cruising on wheels, though. Local rivers kept delivering, too:
Along the way, I visited a few castles.
I didn't see the above, De Haar and Van Horst, from the inside. But I did enter another castle I cycled to see later: Beersel:
I browsed its interiors and started ascending one of its towers.
Every time I thought I reached the top, there was another set of stairs continuing up. They got narrower and narrower and eventually turned into a ladder leading up the tower's spire, resembling a dovecote, or, with a bit of imagination, a space-rocket fairing. It was very tight, but there was no sign that visitors should stay clear, so I kept climbing.
The wooden construction looked like it had seen some years. So, when I reached the top, and a strong gust of wind came, it felt as if I was in an Apollo module, and the ignition just fired! Thankfully, the spire didn't break off, so instead of an involuntary trip to the stratosphere or the pond beneath the tower, I still live to tell the tale. Phew!!
Even without space travel, I got a glimpse of the wonders of the universe. Two solar eclipses in a span of a year and a half, that's not too shabby!
In the meantime, the Earth provided plenty of lovely sights, too.
Questioning life is a bit like selecting clothing. What might be beautiful and comfortable for one person can be completely unfit for another. And just as the person who wears the clothes can say what feels good to them better than an onlooker could, the same goes for sorting personal doubts. Still, it does not stop some from projecting their ideals onto others. "Why don't you have children already? "That color makes you look fat!" Aren't you getting too old?" Hmm.
Accepting those projections without questioning them is what leads to misery and grief. Questioning them creates space to see them as part of the bigger picture, where it became evident that I am doing well. I'd go by the "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work" saying, I haven't worked for years. That's quite a luxury to cherish.
And having the following views on my commute makes it even better.
But best of all, I know fab people who live and let live.
What's more, I got to share some of the happy places with them, like these cool rock formations, for example:
The last photo I captured in Brittany during a recent trip. If all goes well, that will be a post in the future. Until then, you can see the Blog Archives for other articles. Thanks for reading!
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