Day No. 186 - World Women's Day

"Equality between men and women is only possible if the woman is subordinate."

Almost 2,000 years have passed since Marcus Valerius Martial spoke the above words. - But if you were to quote him as a man in the pub in the evening, without any reference to the source, it would certainly bring a laugh or two. - Has much really changed since then? - How many people were offended by the "as a man" two lines earlier? Not at all? - Right, "as a man...", "as a woman..." are restrictions that are still normal for us. - But as long as we differentiate in this way, there will be no equality. - And let's be honest with ourselves, how often are "we men" just as narrow-minded and chauvinistic as ever? - I don't want to absolve myself of this at all. - I'm proud to be a real guy. - That says it all - and when I meet a woman traveling alone on our tour, as I did yesterday, I find this remarkable and courageous "as a woman". - With a guy, I probably wouldn't even notice. - That's why I better stay out of this topic and hope that the next generation will do better and leave further words on this topic to Torgit, "as a woman". (Note from Torgit: I'll comment on this tomorrow)

As I write these lines, I'm sitting on the beach in Benirrás again. - Yesterday's Sunday started differently to our usual Sundays. - Torgit and I each started the day with a guided audio meditation.

Realizing that the present day, that the here and now is the most important moment in your life, that only the moment counts, is something that we, I and surely you too, know from the collection of wise sayings. Because only in this one moment can I have a direct influence on my life, only in this moment can I shape my life. Because yesterday's future is tomorrow's past. - But starting the day by internalizing this is something I never knew.

Now that I have been ending my day by reflecting on the three best moments of the day, at least when I think about it, I sleep better, am calmer and more relaxed in the morning. I take some positive energy with me into my dreams.

Some days this is easy and I have to think about which three were the best among the positive impressions. But that wasn't and isn't always the case. There are days when the positive events are limited to a cup of coffee or other little things.

I'm sure that consciously starting the day with something positive is also a way of exercising my happiness muscle. At least I had the feeling throughout the day yesterday that both Torgit and I were experiencing this day even more consciously and positively.

Anyone who lives in a partnership knows that communication is not always easy. This is not necessarily made any easier by spending a lot of time together in such a small space. But we learn to communicate better every day. And this is our personal ambition. We are working together to make our relationship better and better. And we're not perfect at all. - On the contrary, we both claim to be difficult people. But we are getting better and better. (Torgit's note: Is 'better' the opposite of 'difficult'? I'm trying to make my life easier and I think that will also make me less difficult for those around me 😉 )

All the people we met on our trip who, like us, live in a van, claim that they argue more quickly. Emotions boil over more quickly in a small space. If you have opted for a life that offers something new every day, you have also opted for a life that offers less of a comfort zone. We have learned for ourselves that arguing faster can also mean arguing more constructively and with less focus on me. More and more, we are learning not to let go of the emotion, but at least the negative emotions. Not only do we argue faster, but we also understand each other more quickly. The basis for reconciliation. (Note from Torgit: Arguing really needs to be learned. Why don't they actually teach you that at school?)

But back to our meditation. Our intention is to incorporate it into our everyday life over the next few weeks. Perhaps it will become a comfort zone. The aim is to add positive routines to our lives. - But we are still at the beginning of another journey.

But what else have we done with our Sunday? - After our meditation, we realize once again at breakfast what a magnificent cliff we are standing on. Our spot in Pou d'es Lleo simply offers a magnificent view. - Torgit and I deliberately go back to the small headland. The rock here is surrounded by water on three sides. You can see from the side that the water is even flowing through the rock beneath our feet. - But then we set off. This morning we want to visit the hippy market in Sant Joan de Labritja, or Juan Bautista in Spanish. We choose a route along the coast. The winding road reminds us a little of the Amalfi coast - the hippy market, which is always held here on Sundays, is remarkably large for such a small community. - So we are not surprised when some of the stalls look familiar from previous days. There is also live music here. - The market is really nice, but you should consider whether you really need to see several markets on the same weekend.

The two are only returned to their parents' care at sunset. But I used the time intensively to teach them all kinds of nonsense. 

Later, Torgit and I are back on the beach. Just like the week before, drummers from all over the island have gathered here. Today there are significantly more than last week. - The cannabis cloud is wafting around again - Torgit and I enjoy our can of beer and dance a little. Only when not only the sun has set, but the cold has won, do we get back on the bus. 

Conclusion: Not only did a sunny and relaxed Sunday come to an end for us, but an even more conscious day than usual.