Snippets of the Mundane

I miss traveling. The past few months have been hectic, to say the least. I’ve been buried in work, and the weather has been disappointing. I miss the train journeys, the joy of exploring new places. But do you know what I miss the most? Reliving these places by writing about them. This blog is my safe space. I cannot wake up in a new country everyday, but that shouldn’t stop me from writing about my life. Because I don’t know who I am if I’m not a writer. So here I am, celebrating the everyday!

The grey season is upon us, and I’ve seen the sun very rarely since the past few months. Amidst all this grey, snow has been a lovely guest who just won’t stop showing up. As much as I hate the biting cold, I can’t take my eyes off of the scene: naked trees suddenly growing white beards (like Santa), tiny paw prints on snow covered lawn, steam rising from the streams across town. It’s a magical winter wonderland. And if you carefully layer up, it is something that you can really enjoy.

A month ago I felt the need to be reminded of everything and everyone who makes me happy. So, on a weekday evening, instead of opening my laptop and preparing for next day’s work, I did something childish. I created a “happiness” wall at home. I put up pictures of every animate or inanimate thing which brings happiness to me. Et voila! I now wake up to the view of everything that has ever truly mattered to me. I’m slowly realizing that my work is finding its way up on that wall. I spent most of the rare sunny days cooped up in my office, and took this photo of sun setting behind my office. Instead of resenting those four walls, I enjoyed this sunset and felt satisfied with the day. Only time will tell if this photo will make its way on the wall, but with regular breaks and a good work-life balance, I truly see that happening. It’s amazing how one little activity can change your whole mood! I suggest such seemingly childish things to survive the winter depression (which is very common in Germany).

TODO

I took to reading. Talk about doing “nothing” on Sundays. From enjoying “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake) in the backyard to lying down on the lawn with a book of poetry, I made the most of a couple of sunny Sundays. Cite Sneha’s blog and say “I’m not proud of it, but I’m the sister she’s talking about”.

Talk about sunny days.

And who knows, my next trip may be just around the corner!