Sleeping under the stars - singing around a campfire - learning to juggle by a cold lake
It seems like a shot from a movie. One of those movies where people just eat one bite of their croissant and then leave the beautifully laid breakfast table. Where the protagonists don't turn off the light when they leave their house. Where everyone seems to live in a big apartment in the middle of the city while working as a waitress. In short, a movie in which life is beautiful and easy, and without the constraints of daily life and the weight of responsibilities.
And yet, this isn’t a shot from a Hollywood blockbuster, but one of my humble existence. A shot taken last weekend, during the bi-annual UCF camping trip.
Though I’d like to think that it is more than that: it’s a promise. To me, it’s a promise that I can just pack my lunchbox on a beautiful Saturday morning, hop on the train and let it drive me to the heart of the Schwarzwald, where problems seem small and impossible turns into easy peasy lemon squeezy. To you, whether you’re reading this from your desk in Maastricht or anywhere else, it’s a promise that you too can jump on your bike and discover your beautiful surroundings by just taking three hours out of your life. It’s a promise that what seems movie-like actually lies right at your feet. And a reminder that you can squeeze this in even the busiest of schedules.
It's the promise of sleeping under the stars as I did if you only dare to grab your camping map and look up. And if you don't mind wearing three sweaters while you sleep.
Jesler van Houdt