The magic of the mountains

Today is a special day. So special that I felt like writing again after a long time. The last few weeks have been very intense and characterized by what I call “growth spurts”. There is always a lot to do in everyday life and the trick is to stay focused even in these dynamic times. To focus on what is important.

I was watching a series earlier that reminded me a lot of what is important. We so often lose ourselves in the little things in everyday life. An issue at work, deadlines that need to be met, appointments that need to be reconciled and, above all, our own expectations of how this should be done. I sometimes get the feeling that we get really involved and can't see anything else. I'm often very strict with myself and have high expectations of myself. It's important to me to make a difference and my time should be invested wisely. We only have one life and in this awareness we can make the best of it. Last weekend reminded me once again of a few things and life made me realize what RIGHT means and what right feels like.

I was in the mountains in Austria. I've often been drawn there in recent months because it feels like home and grounding to me and I only know a few places that move me so much. I am fascinated by their mightiness, love their colors, the structures of the rocks and trees and above all the light that constantly changes everything. Light is everything and determines the mood and what we see. I grew up with the view of the mountains as a child and spent hours at the skylight back then, immersing myself in their magic and capturing them in charcoal and watercolor. The mountains have always been an important guide for me and they remind me again and again that there are things in life that we cannot control. There is a higher guidance, I am sure of that. We humans often think we can control everything and try to do so, but nature teaches us better with all its power - even if not always in a pleasant way. And it also casts a spell over us and does something to us. It helps us to process emotions, to feel ourselves and to find our way back to our center. I know of no more effective way to do this than to go out into nature.

I am always fascinated by the effect of the mountains and how quickly and powerfully they unfold. Just looking at them brings me down. I was lucky that I was able to spend the night in the middle of the mountains and experience them in all their facets. I haven't slept as deeply and soundly as I did these days for a long time, even though I had a really stressful time beforehand. I woke up with the first rays of sunshine in the morning and went to bed with the darkness in the evening. I lived a completely natural rhythm and had more fresh air than I have had for a long time. The simple life is good for me: getting up, making breakfast, looking at the mountains, discovering the world and eating and going to bed in the evening. In contrast, everyday life often seems very turbulent and somehow “bloated” to me. In the mountains, I was simply with myself. I immersed myself in nature, couldn't get enough of it and tried to capture everything with my camera. It's so much fun for me to see the different shapes, structures and colors. I love playing with the light and conveying moods. I can't remember the last time I felt so fulfilled. Time seemed to stand still. One of my favorite moments was when I sat on the mountain with my camera until the sun went down. It was a unique experience to experience the silence and also the fading light with the changing colors.

I am telling you about this because I have the impression that we very often get lost in our everyday lives and lose sight of what is really important in life. What is important to us. We often need much less than we think. We don't need all the stuff around us, nor do we need complicated situations and relationships. And most of it we have just dragged into our lives ourselves. We rush from appointment to appointment without ever stopping to really notice what is around us. When we remember what is good for us, clarity and energy return. I notice it in these moments when I am bursting with ideas and zest for action again and really feel like tackling my projects. We all have a limited amount of energy and time. The days in the mountains made me so aware again and made me feel what is important to me in life and what I really need. And I am infinitely grateful for these profound experiences.

What makes you feel good? What makes you happy? What brings you back to yourself? When does your energy return? In which places and moments do you have the best ideas? When do you develop a zest for action? When do you feel fulfilled? And what do you need for this? How can you integrate this space even more into your everyday life?