Currently Browsing: Challenges

Personal projects, exercises in discipline, for the mind.

komkommertijd_citroen (1 of 1)

bio men

‘I brought you some biological lemons,’ Margo says. I hear a kind of contentment in her voice and look up at her, a bit confused. For one second, I am trying to figure out what’s so special about bio lemons. Nothing of course, they are just lemons, the way they grow on a tree.

cultivated land (1 of 1)

The activists of small things

It still happens often that I ask myself what the hell the point is of the life choices we made. Why did we move abroad, why do we want to live off grid & zero waste? After three years of fighting, I found the answer. ‘Choose your battles,’ says Mark Manson, ‘The question is not; […]

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Do things well?!

I finally have what I want so there are no more excuses left for not working hard. With freedom comes a lot of responsibility. After two and a half years in Portugal, things need to change. Letting go of western assumptions & focusing on getting things done in my life.

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Why am I anxious?

Moving abroad to have a peaceful mind but dealing with panic attacks instead. Because also in Portugal the whole world enters through Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, notifications,… And they are unstoppable. Fuck me, I’m screwed.

money

Money is fake

Money, cash, capital, sterling, dinheiro. Davy & I we are rich. How come? Not because we have enough of it on our bank account but because we don’t take it as a starting point, we rather let it flow.

buitenkoer_brandstapel_Davy en Jack (1 of 1)

marriage isn’t about compromise

We are renovating. And anyone who (re)built a house will know that it entails a whole catalogue of discussions. We are mentally & physically exhausted but this Portuguese project needs to triumph. So does our marriage.

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Resolutions: act normal (at a steady pace)

  We tend to set the bar too high for ourselves. We reach for the stars and forget to keep both feet on the ground… With we, I obviously mean myself. 

food_brood

Where has my food gone?

My first job in Espinho was cooking for a bunch of yogi’s. It was actually more of a favour but people liked what I cooked that day and offered to pay. At this point, I spend much more time in the kitchen here than expected.

Tien jaar

Ten years together: about time & future

Mobiliteit Gent

What Belgians can learn from Portuguese and vice verse

Now that I live on the sideline of Belgium & Portugal it’s not difficult to see the particularities of each country. When it comes to environmental & school policy or emancipation in Portugal, we still live in the eighties. But life is like in the good old days. In Belgium, over-efficiency gets in the way […]