A true friend is not a true friend to Mary, John and Bob. A true friend is a true friend to everyone. That is his/her nature. It’s someone with a big heart that would never hurt anyone on purpose, only by mistake or under extreme conditions. A true friend may be someone I have not seen in years. But the moment I see him/her again, it’s like we have never parted. The second I glimpse the face I am overwhelmed with happiness and so is he/she. Neither of us says anything stupid like: “Where have you been all these years?” or “Why haven’t you called?” It feels like the five years have...

Being close to someone is like sitting by a fire. It feels nice. It’s warm. The colors of life are bright, just like the colors of fire. And there is always something going on. The flames grow bigger and smaller. You know you have to poke the embers and add some more wood, when the flames die out. Just like you take care of a close relationship. Nevertheless, the fire also represents danger. Danger of getting hurt, of developing a suffocating relationship, of losing the person you love etc. Because that same cosy fire can also leave you with burns. Some people recover from burns, others tend to...

I do not have a garden, but if I did, I am sure I would prefer perennials to annuals. I have an inexplicable reluctance to throw things away. When I buy clothes for example, I hope to be able to wear them for years. I would rather have two pieces that last than ten pieces that need replacement every year. The last car my husband and I owned was totally broken and could not be mended anymore, when we finally said goodbye to it and sold it to a mechanic that still saw some useful parts in it that could be taken out and re-used. It looks like the car we own now will see the same destiny. Needless to add...

I have been thinking lately, what a career is. Is it about making a lot of money? Not necessarily. In some professions yes in others not. In my opinion the essence of a career is the feeling of ‘being somebody’. The feeling sounds nice as far as the individual is concerned, but what does this orientation do to the society? It becomes more and more comprised of individuals trying to stand out. There is less and less glue among people and the society starts falling apart. Career-oriented view of life is an intrinsic part of up-bringing and schooling. I never questioned it until I realized...

Some time ago I came across the following saying: “The weak revenge, the strong forgive, the intelligent ignore.” The saying came at the right moment, for I was entangled in an irrelevant matter that was best ignored. I took some time to ponder about the wise words and realized that the upper words of wisdom need examples. Therefore I will try to name some. Revenge in itself is not a wise thing to do or to feel. But we should distinguish between a revenge and standing up for oneself. A young couple told me that they had picked their son from kindergarten bruised repeatedly. They talked to the...