some words...

...are better than shoes!!

I found myself thinking of words today... not so much in the sense of putting hem together to form a sentence and make a point, no... just words... how beautiful and powerful they can be, how much emotion can they carry, how much of our history lies within them... how marvellous to be able to express so much of one's self with only a handful of letters... I have my favourite words in all the languages that I manage to more or less speak... but I will not write about my personal favourites, I want to mention two words that I feel carry the essence of a whole nation, the nation which came up with them...

One is from my home... my mother tongue, my people... and it is, they say and... I tend to agree, the most untranslatable word ever... it is filotimo... and it does describe us in more ways than I can think of... it is "pride, dignity, courage, duty, sacrifice -even one's life- and above all demands respect and a deep personal freedom". With all our flaws, it is always part of us... hidden sometimes, asleep, covered under the vices, but the virtue is there... waiting for the right moment to shine... Greek? most definitely!

The other is from my second home... the land which took me in its arms and the people who showed me so much love they were destined to become my second family... and it is saudade... the longing, the yearning, the love and passion which run so deep it's almost impossible even to express... the unbreakable bond, the melancholic smile, the certainty of the feeling even when it's not spoken... does it describe the Portuguese? ohhh, it most certainly does!

Two words, two nations... my beloved ones... and those words, which say so much in so few letters, so strong, so pretty, like the people who speak them... better than shoes? Without any doubt!

 

thoughts after the rain...

... they say that there is always a rainbow. I do not agree because I don't see it, not always... and if I don't see it I don't believe it (with few exceptions). What I believe is that, after yesterdays unimaginable storm, today the sun shines. And it is comforting, though not so much warming. Surely, for the last three days, while the rain was pouring from the sky, as if we had all transported ourselves magically into a huge shower cabin, I was not thinking of the "after"... I was just miserable and angry. So, now, I'm thinking, what is this formula to make me think of the sun precisely while the rain is falling on my head? Precisely when I need this image the most? Because, that, would be better than shoes!

It is true that we should live in the "now", not the past and not the future, that we should enjoy the present moment. But what about when the moment is bad? What is this trick to help us overcome it? What is this way of managing to see that the glass will be eventually full when it is empty? What is this approach which carries us through the difficult times, the times of rain and grey, to the next ones, to the sunny and bright one? Optimism? Well, I always believed that I am an optimist but still sometimes I get lost in the bad, in the gloomy weathers, both literal and figurative, and I get despaired... Is there another way?

I suspect it's patience... hmmm... I don't do patience... I never did... I do appreciate it in other people but it is not one of my virtues. No, wait a second, correction: I do have patience for people, I can try to understand them, see their view point, explain to them, help them. But not situations. When I don't like something I want to change it and when I can't change it I suffer... like with the weather... hmmm could it be then that patience is better than shoes?! Anyone to help me out here?...

walkin'... by myself...

... Ah, the legendary Gary Moore!! The memories his songs bring back to me... student years, high school, he had something for my happy moments and he sure did have something for my blues... And every time I put on my walking shoes (yeah, yeah, I got a new, hi-tech pair, after having read dozens of reviews, did it the right way :) and go out in the sun to burn all those chocolate calories, I keep hearing him in my head... "walkin'... by myself..."

This summer I have no complaints from the dutch weather... true, there have been some slip-ups, stormy-dark-cold-wet days, but just a few really. And so far I have been enjoying the good weather by walking out a lot... and, yes, this does give me the illusion that I can go on eating that damn good "Ben&Jerry's" strawberry cheesecake ice cream without gaining weight... key word: illusion... But ok, bad it is by no means, walking for a couple of hours a couple of times a week, that is... But it's not all about burning the ice cream calories... it is mostly about clearing my head! After work, where I constantly fry my brain, I need those moments of solitude, on the road, music in my ears, sunshine on my face and nothing to think about...

Yes, it is a great pleasure! One better than shoes! Those of you who run or walk will know what I mean, the precious feeling of being alone with the road, the wonderful tiredness afterwards, sometimes even the pain (need I really talk about it again? :) Totally worth it! So, I should get going not to miss the sunshine! Perhaps I will be seeing you around...