Großstadt-Pocahontas

This saying by Bruce Lee may be familiar to almost everyone: “Be water, my friend!”. Sounds good and nice. A wisdom that, like any wisdom, is easier said than done. And yet implementation is easy. As it turns out.

May 2020, Egypt. Travel is restricted due to the current situation. Something that doesn’t suit travel at all. To be limited. Travel is the ultimate feeling of freedom. Air traffic has stopped. And the neighboring countries have closed their borders. I have the opportunity to travel within Egypt. Which makes little sense, because accommodations are closed, as well as sights and relaxation areas.

Well, to be honest, I imagined a different trip around the world. And the thought comes up again, the Atlantic crossing. That was also in my imagination. However, my path led me to Egypt. Against my idea. But I follow the wisdom of my heart. This brought me to the land of the pyramids. There I am now. And wherever I look, all paths are a kind of dead end streets. I am still fathoming what wisdom is behind it. So I don’t quite understand why I’m stranded here. Again I understand the reaction of the countries: a restriction to prevent spreading. A limitation of the outside world. This makes the freedom of the inner world more active than ever. And so I travel through my train of thought. To unknown territories. In the silence. Into nothing. Into space. Through human history. So I come across the following: A wisdom says that something decays or is destroyed so that something new is created. A trained mind realizes that it is neither good nor bad. It’s just a rhythm. It should be viewed neutrally. It is the way of things. One replaces the other. This wisdom must also be applied to current world events. It’s just too complex for me. And I’m still far from looking at it with neutrality. So I practice small. In such a way that I understand it because I realize it in my life.

It can’t be more profane. I illustrate the wisdom mentioned, using the face mask. Yes. Let’s take life easy. Enough with complications. Enough with a headache about the current situation. Enough with abstract talk. Since face masks are currently on many mouths (in Egypt the mask requirement will probably be introduced in a week), the thought comes to me to get one. My sense of sustainability insists on a fabric mask that is reusable. And my urge to sew insists on doing it myself. All right then. Wonderful. We’ll do that, cries the zest for action. All right. I asked my contacts if there was a sewing machine available to borrow. Nothing. More thoughts in my head: “Good. If I can use a sewing machine, I still need yarn, a meter tape, pin, scissors, a cutting template and so on. ” And fabric, of course. Great. Instead of a new horizon opening up, a mountain grows in front of me. Through my recent journey of thought, the sentence comes to mind: “Be water, my friend!” Wow, ey. And what does that bring me? All right. The idea wants to be illuminated. Be water. Hm. Water takes the path of least resistance to reach its goal. OK. My goal is to have a homemade fabric mask. The resistance that arises when renting a sewing machine is too strong. It is definitely possible. However, I would have to put a lot of effort into it. So think ahead. I have a sewing kit with me. Then sewing is done by hand. And ‘zack’, the next saying in my head is “Destroy to create something new”. And this saying also fits into the situation. So I went traveling with the intention of not adding any more luggage. Rather that I give something away. As a result, a few things have ended up in the care of other people. And just in the past few days I have put aside a few things that I would like to pass on. With a glance, I catch the right part that is converted into a mask. As I listen to my favorite music and sew the mask, time flies. I enjoy handcrafting and even more pleasure that it was finally so easy to get to my goal. So I go on a journey of thought again. This journey takes me through my life. Through the lives of the people I care about. Right up to the current global situation. I always understand more about what life is all about. I understand that I have to make a fine adjustment. And I understand the freedom in which I live. Despite, or just because of, closed borders.

I can sew a second mask from the fabric of the pants. This is very practical when one has to be washed. And also practical, upcycling this. The fabric that now covers my mouth used to cover my. Oh. Enough. Now it’s enough, Metropolitan Pocahontas. You can also keep a few secrets of life to yourself. Okay. Yes. The world is not yet ready for some truths. Everything with its time. Even if it is fashion at the moment, my mask is definitely not the trendiest. However, from now on it is a useful travel companion. It always reminds me of what these two wisdom mean.