My favourite things (Rostock)
As so often at this stage of an eventful and emotionally charged journey, today I found myself in quite an emotional state of mind. I woke up to a beautiful sunshine, which together with a well-slept night and a delicious breakfast contributed to a general sense of wellbeing that carried on all through the day. As there was essentially nothing I had to get done, I decided to spend the day just enjoying the sun while doing some half-hearted browsing on the shopping streets of Rostock.
As I had known I would, very soon I found myself in a bookstore, and once again I was immediately struck by the limitless opportunities of discovery that the literary world offers. Just looking at all those books almost moved me to tears, as in some obscure way it made me feel incredibly fortunate. No matter what, even if I never achieved another thing in my life or never left home again, there would always be this new world to discover. And even when I get old and my physical capacities weaken, I will always be able to enjoy reading (or hearing) the stories that this world is so full of. Just as importantly, I understood that the process of getting old that has been preoccupying me quite a lot lately, is actually not related at all to the capacity to enjoy the stories that life has to offer.
Standing there, I realised that all through this journey, I have had similar kind of moments when a feeling of such overwhelming happiness overtakes me. When I think back on the countries and cities I have seen, the people I have met, the sensations I have experienced, every new encounter seems to have filled me with a new discovery of what makes me happy.
In Sweden, it may have been the pleasure that lies in well-tended gardens, as well as a general sense of mutual respect and harmony in the society that everybody contributes to. In Denmark, it was the light-hearted, relaxed and easy-going quest to enjoy life, while in Holland it was definitely the ever-present laughter, the tolerance and acceptance, even appreciation of diversity in all aspects of life. In Germany, the list of things that I have come to appreciate grows longer every time I visit: the devotion with which things are done, the love for pets that is manifested in the kindness with which they are treated, the wonderful variety of delicious breads and rolls, the good (and cheap!) rosé wine, the excellent newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung that I could read for hours...
In Belgium, despite my brief stay, I truly enjoyed the spirit of a nation used to foreigners; the tolerance that accommodates anybody willing to work for their living, and the tango atmosphere that was perhaps the most relaxed of all the countries I have so far visited, with very little snobism. And then, in France, of course, it was the beauty. in the buildings, the people, the food, the language, even the slight neglect that seems to dictate the way physical property is looked after. Interestingly, while Germans seem to get their kicks from doing things thoroughly, the French seem to enjoy life more if things are slightly disorganised! :-)To me, there is some important lesson in both of these approaches.
Thinking about these components of happiness that I (re)discovered on this trip, the list would not be complete without the most important thing of all: the people. Despite losing sight of this knowledge at times, it comes as no surprise to me that wherever I go, the way to another person's heart is always the same: treating them with kindness, warmth and generosity, not intruding but allowing them to approach you if they feel like it, and seeing everybody, no matter what their nationality, colour or creed, as essentially the same as yourself. And whenever such a connection between people is established, the sense of being at home, amongst one's kind, is always the same. To me, this is the most essential discovery of all.
In my mind, dancing tango continues being the most beautiful way of establishing such a connection between people. I realise that this can also become a limiting factor, as getting to know people WITHOUT dancing with them seems less and less appealing. There must be other ways of doing it, and I have a vague recollection of having experienced them even myself (;-). I suppose I cannot go on like this forever, but for now, I want to continue discovering people, the world, and myself, through tango.
As I had known I would, very soon I found myself in a bookstore, and once again I was immediately struck by the limitless opportunities of discovery that the literary world offers. Just looking at all those books almost moved me to tears, as in some obscure way it made me feel incredibly fortunate. No matter what, even if I never achieved another thing in my life or never left home again, there would always be this new world to discover. And even when I get old and my physical capacities weaken, I will always be able to enjoy reading (or hearing) the stories that this world is so full of. Just as importantly, I understood that the process of getting old that has been preoccupying me quite a lot lately, is actually not related at all to the capacity to enjoy the stories that life has to offer.
Standing there, I realised that all through this journey, I have had similar kind of moments when a feeling of such overwhelming happiness overtakes me. When I think back on the countries and cities I have seen, the people I have met, the sensations I have experienced, every new encounter seems to have filled me with a new discovery of what makes me happy.
In Sweden, it may have been the pleasure that lies in well-tended gardens, as well as a general sense of mutual respect and harmony in the society that everybody contributes to. In Denmark, it was the light-hearted, relaxed and easy-going quest to enjoy life, while in Holland it was definitely the ever-present laughter, the tolerance and acceptance, even appreciation of diversity in all aspects of life. In Germany, the list of things that I have come to appreciate grows longer every time I visit: the devotion with which things are done, the love for pets that is manifested in the kindness with which they are treated, the wonderful variety of delicious breads and rolls, the good (and cheap!) rosé wine, the excellent newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung that I could read for hours...
In Belgium, despite my brief stay, I truly enjoyed the spirit of a nation used to foreigners; the tolerance that accommodates anybody willing to work for their living, and the tango atmosphere that was perhaps the most relaxed of all the countries I have so far visited, with very little snobism. And then, in France, of course, it was the beauty. in the buildings, the people, the food, the language, even the slight neglect that seems to dictate the way physical property is looked after. Interestingly, while Germans seem to get their kicks from doing things thoroughly, the French seem to enjoy life more if things are slightly disorganised! :-)To me, there is some important lesson in both of these approaches.
Thinking about these components of happiness that I (re)discovered on this trip, the list would not be complete without the most important thing of all: the people. Despite losing sight of this knowledge at times, it comes as no surprise to me that wherever I go, the way to another person's heart is always the same: treating them with kindness, warmth and generosity, not intruding but allowing them to approach you if they feel like it, and seeing everybody, no matter what their nationality, colour or creed, as essentially the same as yourself. And whenever such a connection between people is established, the sense of being at home, amongst one's kind, is always the same. To me, this is the most essential discovery of all.
In my mind, dancing tango continues being the most beautiful way of establishing such a connection between people. I realise that this can also become a limiting factor, as getting to know people WITHOUT dancing with them seems less and less appealing. There must be other ways of doing it, and I have a vague recollection of having experienced them even myself (;-). I suppose I cannot go on like this forever, but for now, I want to continue discovering people, the world, and myself, through tango.
Moi, tervetuloa satamaan ja maisemiin sen takana - vähän enempi tästä teemasta taisi mennä omaan piiloonsa.. jos en ole tarkkaa mun netti tarjoaa vielä heinäkuista sivua. Siinäkin symboliikkansa, niinkai ihmisen mielikin tuppaa jo menneissä viipymään. Meit on muuten monta jotka siua on kukin kohaltaan, laillaan matkalla saatelleet - terkut Lotalle ja mumille - ja sydän syrjällään tai suorallaan on tänne taas avosylin ottamassa vastaan,ty sa. Helka
ReplyDeleteRelated suggestion : would you like to try dancing tango on John Coltrane's versions of "My favourite things" songs (R Rodgers & O Hammerstein) ? eg :
ReplyDelete- classical Atlantic 1960 version
- live @Newport 1965 version
- 1 hour long & free jazz version live in Japan 1966 version
Enjoy,
DC
Moi, welcome back to Finland.. I´m back after wonderfull time in Spain - in those places where I have loved the life and still do have the same feeling.
ReplyDeleteI´m happy to read your good experiencies in meeting people, I do have the same opinion and sometimes it is so relaxing to have the connection with some people you don´t know anything about and you don´t even want to know a lot. Dancing is a good way of connecting people (=
Hope we still have nice sunny days in Helsinki!
Anu