"At this moment, let us calm down, with grateful, merciful and uneasy mood to embrace the past, present and future." - Chinese proverb
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| Neckar river, Tuebingen |
During my junior year of college, I decided to study abroad in Germany. Those six months changed me in ways I continue to discover. Living in Berlin for the first month, I fell in love with a well-designed and connected city that was reasonably priced and full of green spaces. Germans respect the old and embrace the new, with a great deal of collective reflection and awareness.
During the remaining five months I was in a small college town outside of Stuttgart in southern Germany. I arrived in Tuebingen in January, crying my way through the first night at the local hostel. I felt alone, scared, and upset about where I had come - a sleepy place that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere compared to the eclectic and energetic spirit of Berlin (it didn't help that it rained the first day too!). With time however, I learned to adapt and get comfortable with the town. However, I never fell in love with it. Throughout my visit, I counted the months, weeks, and days until I would get to see my family again.
It was only after I returned to the US that I began to realize how much Tuebingen had changed me. Once back in the US -
- I remember getting furious that I couldn't recycle all of the trash properly in six different containers.
- I remember being depressed that I had to drive everywhere all of a sudden.
- I remember wanting quiet more than anything, so much so that I would drive an hour to the closest mountain trail to hike and be silent among nature.
- I remember being early to all of my appointments all of a sudden and not wanting to rush to places.
- I remember wanting more daily discipline and planning out my daily schedule.
Suddenly I began realizing how deeply living in Tuebingen had affected me. I don't know how that happened exactly, but it did, and I continue to shape my life in ways that align with the values I absorbed and experienced during my time in Germany.
Since last year, my partner and I have been committed to biking everywhere as much as we can; working towards owning a single car; buying and consuming less (i.e., food, clothes, technology, electricity, etc.); spending more time in nature - camping, hiking, and hanging out; cooking at home; learning new skills and how to make our own stuff; and being kind to our universe and the life in it.
I say all this so that you know where the source of inspiration comes from to write this blog. It is a blog about how two people, my partner and I, are creating and experiencing a lifestyle that suits our emotional, physical, social, environmental, occupational, spiritual and intellectual values. As such, I (and sometimes he - I hope :)) will discuss the evolution of our journey to date and what we are doing to continuously optimize our lives for the good of ourselves, our loved ones, and our universe!
I also hope that I will get to learn from the readers who leave comments and that this will become a collaborative learning space full of stories, successes, trials and errors. Above all, I intend for this blog to be a positive and useful read for people that come across it. Apart from that, it will be a useful and fun way for my beloved and me to record our beautiful and curious journey together.
And because I love quotations, here is one from Bob Dylan to close this post off:
"There’s enough songs... Unless someone’s gonna come along with a pure heart and has something to say. That’s a different story." - Bob Dylan (posted on Brain Pickings)
