Monday 11 June 2012

Good Advice

when I was a kid, it was customary to have a special kind of book (called "Poesiealbum"), empty at first, that was given to parents and teachers and school friends, and everyone wrote some sort of inspiration quote, small poem, or short text into it, meant as an advice for life. Is this a phenomenon specific for Germany or do other cultures have this as well?

I recently found my own Poesiealbum - apparently I got it in 1964 when I was ten. The first four pages were autographed by my parents and my grandparents (mother's parents). Later, after some empty pages, they are followed by pages by two or three teachers and just two or three friends, but their quotes aren't really interesting. I am surprised to what degree I can agree today with what my parents wrote, even if the whole thing seems pretentious, even kitschy to me today.


"Who relies on others will live in a shaky world. Who relies on himself, stands well"
This sentence, written (as I googled) by Paul Heyse, was actually my father's own motto for life I think. He hated to be dependent on others. During most of his working life, he was the boss of a small print shop, and he managed to keep the family alive and fed.




"Don't destroy your peace of mind by looking back, worrying about the past. Live in the present; enjoy the present"
This one, contributed by my mother, really surprised me - I googled it and it turned out to be by Henry David Thoreau. I don't believe she was actually familiar with Thoreau's work, she probably found it in some collection of dictums, but nonetheless a remarkable choice - the modern mystics such as Eckhart Tolle couldn't have put it better (although there is far more to living in the moment than most people realize).




"Let yourself be guided - but not in your feeling and your thinking"
This one, suggested by my grandma (who had a rebellious spirit and raised her five children without religion), was originally written by Friedrich von Sallet, a German writer from the early 19th century who was critical of religion and the military. Not bad, grandma!


"Making others happy makes you happy"
Don't remember much of my grandpa. And I don't know who wrote this line - but the German wording can be found back into the mid-19th century, according to Google. Not sure what to think of this but I see the source of happiness somewhere else. Too bad I can't discuss this with my grandpa! he died when I was a child.

What would I write in a boy's Poesiealbum book? something like a motto of my life? What is that motto? I can't seem to put it into words at the moment. The simple insight into reality can't be put into words.

White Light


Charlotte Peters 1921 - 2012

THE UNIVERSE IS AN OCEAN OF WHITE LIGHT,
AND ON IT DANCE THE WAVES OF LIFE AND DEATH


It was no surprise to us that my mother left her body last Sunday - she was 91, had struggled with dementia for 10 years (since my father had died), and more and more severe health problems added to her suffering. Besides the obvious feelings of loss, we are glad that she finally made it, it must have felt like an enormous relief to her.



Sitting in the grass
on top of the hill
where I sat when my father had died.

Now both are gone
but both are inside of me,
father in the belly, mother in the heart

a quiet double presence of support
and strength and love
allowing sadness and joy to coexist.

What holds me, when I look closer,
actually extends to the horizon
and further than that.

The wind blows eternally
over the hill, bending the grass,
a few raindrops like kisses.

Yes, they are gone, and I'll be gone
eventually, as will everyone else,
but that what is here will always be here

And always is now


Friday 8 June 2012

Turquoise Coast 4: in Black and White

here are a few faux-pencil-drawings from the "paper camera" app in my mobile phone ...
































Turquoise Coast 3: A Taste of the Orient

We also went to several cities during our Provence/Cote d'Azur vacation: Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and Toulon. We actually went to Marseille twice because there was so much to see and do! Here are some of the things we saw ...


Some of the architectural details ... parts of them still very beautiful, other parts ... I guess they were meant to be beautiful ...











Finally, we sat down for a tasty mezze dish containing tabouleh and other treats ...





The Game is a very serious thing ...


Soaps are a big thing in the Provence ... at least in tourist shops ...


Taking a short break from the hot day in a cool church, with two women practising on a beautiful organ ...


Various coffee places ...






We found the oriental culture especially fascinating ... the shops offer an overwhelming variety of oriental food ... food and more. So many things I did not know! I thought I could spend weeks here, finding out about all these mysterious things in detail ...






Toulon contains a military harbour ... who would have thought that (at least on the advertisements) French torpedoes are dispatched by good looking young women wearing civilian clothes ...



This ad promotes "shopping attitude" - yes, I'm sure even the inhabitants of these ugly buildings are more than happy to bring all their money into the expensive clothes shops ...