It’s the last week of January, which means we have almost survived the first month of the year! This may sound a bit overdramatic, but the Corona virus is still not done with us and so we are still tied to our homes and people are really starting to get tired of that. Me? Well, I once heard that adaptability is one of our greatest strengths and I’m starting to get used to being home a lot more. It’s been almost a year since I’ve been home way more than I used to be. I’m glad that my relationship with Bren has only strengthened through all of this, instead of the other way around. But it can be a real struggle knowing we’ll be living like this for some time.

Riots and protests

Since last weekend we now have a curfew here in the Netherlands. Some people decided to protest against this rather drastic measure by rioting and protesting. The city centre of Eindhoven was demolished and plundered by rioters and seeing all of this makes you feel really sad. It makes you wonder what’s wrong with those people. It’s not that different from what we saw in the United States a couple of weeks ago, if you ask me. More trouble was seen in other cities around the Netherlands; Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, mainly. Last thing I heard the police had done at least 250 arrests, and they were still counting. Sad times. It makes you wonder what’s wrong with people that drives them to do stuff like this.

Enjoying the weather and the art of Shinrin Yoku

Bren and I love forest walks and these past two days have been lovely, so we have been walking through our small forest “het Libellebos” (the dragonfly forest). It’s a bit muddy, but there’s also a lot of moss on the trees and that makes for some really beautiful pictures. We always take our time to stroll through the forest. One of the reasons is that it’s really small, but also because no visit is ever quite the same.

We’re planning on doing more walking. I always try to go for a walk around lunch time, because otherwise I’d spend most of my day being stuck behind the screen (as I am now, writing this). But the importance of stretching your legs, getting some vitamin D and being outside do wonders for our bodies. I’m really hoping we can get a house close to a forest, or walking route, so we can enjoy being outside like this even more than we already do.

So, this week, why not try and go for a walk more often? The Japanese call these forest walks Shinrin Yoku, which means “forest bathing” and being around the trees and being mindful at the same time can have a long lasting effect on your health, both physical and mental. I know we’ll be going there, it’s much better than in the cities these days.

Hope you all have a nice week!

Happy Monday,

~Jeffrey