Whenever I write these Pearls of Wisdom posts, I feel the urge to assure you that actually, I am a fount of knowledge. Yeah, that sounds swanky. Turning 38 in just about a few days makes for 39 years of life experience, which is a clear validation for that title. Not that anything apart from my own ego and age would support this conclusion. But you see, filled to the brim with creative imagination – which is by far more my scene than any schooling, facts or scientific – I can be anything in this world. It’s all about the marketing, peeps – it’s all about how you sell yourself. (That sounds nasty).
Eating Calves, Berlin, April 2008
Enough of the ramble – let’s play.
Listen to good music as much as possible. Sing along too. If you are a bad singer, you may want to limit it to closed and empty spaces. Also, you should not sing in public when drunk.
Speaking of music, listen to that song. You’re welcome.
Smile, even when it’s raining.
Never lose your shit. Stay grounded, breathe and chill. Unless a starving Godzilla is standing in front of you, there isn’t much to panic about.
Berlin Prenzlauerberg, January 2009
Eat bananas in public and keep the eye contact with the edible penis too. Then take a look around and fun check the looks of people around you.
The big mouth strikes again / Crete, Greece, Fall 2006
Never lose touch with the good people in your life. They are worth everything and because of them, your world is a better place.
My hostsister during my project work in the Philippines, Summer 2007
Girls Trip, Barcelona, Spain, August 2012
Girls Trip, Barcelona, Spain, August 2012
Reach out for help if you need it. This is not a sign of weakness – on the contrary, it proves that you know yourself and that you are strong enough to accept it.
Lej da Staz, Engadin, Swiss Alps, July 2014
Things I recommend to carry around at all times:
Headphones
Toothbrush
Credit Card
Code of Credit Card (I know what I am talking about here, trust me)
Toothpaste (Dito)
Deodorant
Food (well, I don’t talk about full-cooked-meals-like food. More like snacks. I mean, you really don’t need to carry an entire roasted chicken or pasta arrabiata with seafood in your handbag. You can, of course, I just think that would be kind of inconvenient.)
Hiking in the Rice Terrasses of Batad, Philippines, July 2007
Don’t agree on any appointments, dates, trips or ideas when you drink. I had my fair share of payment to do because of euphoric and frolic parties:
> Running up the mountain of Zurich in the middle of bloody cold winter
> Registering for a yearly passtour with the racing bike – this story ended in solid SIX Swiss passes I climbed with the bike.
> I promised ‘pictures’ to someone. In all seriousness, I have no fuckin’ recollection of what pictures I seemed to be talking about. I just got this reproachful face, every time I met this guy for still not sending him ‘those pictures’. WTF.
Be a chocolate and a wine snob. Honestly, if you treat yourself, do it with the right stuff. Cheap wine or cheap chocolate is almost equal to bad sex. Almost.
Move daily. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you pick up yourself and move. Our bodies are made for it and there is nothing better than having this physical activity to clear your head, get the blood running and feel those muscles.
Daily work on the Island: painting the school in about 40 degrees C. Long Beach, Philippines, July 2007
Post pumping iron, CrossFit Basel, July 2016
Get lost in your passion. Whatever it is, live it. It is not always easy to find what your passion is, so if you got it, grab it, live it, do it. It’s what will make you happy and a better person. Plus, you are good at it.
Night Stroll in Tel Aviv, Israel, November 2014
Tacheles, Berlin Prenzlauerberg, August 2008
Color your life. If that is with your friends, clothes, flowers, travels – make it a colorful journey.
Market in Jerusalem, Israel, November 2014
Tacheles, Berlin Prenzlauerberg, August 2008
xxx
Luce
