This morning after the yoga flow programme and feeding the birds in the garden, I discovered an article in the newspaper that took me back in time: The Bauer publishing house is opening its Bravo Archive from 1956 – 1994 (https://www.bravo-archiv.de/home.php).
Yes, yes, Bravo. When I discovered it then, at the age of 12, shortly before the Olympic Games in Munich, I was immediately one of its millions of enthusiastic readers. Because when I was 12, my life consisted of school, homework, meeting friends on the street and on weekends largely of boredom. Bravo was a grateful distraction, as it fuelled a 12-year-old girl’s many fantasies.
I too read Bravo secretly under the duvet at first. And sometimes together with 3 friends, when we shared Bravo for about 80 pence.
I especially liked the celebrity cuts. For example, I collected the one of the outstanding swimmer Mark Spitz (https://www.bravo-archiv.de/auswahl.php?link=starschnittraster4.php). On my wall decorated with flowered wallpaper a perfect swimming body unfolded almost life-size, where only the left calf was missing at the end. Sometimes I either had too little pocket money or I had come home with a less than satisfactory grade in some subject like maths or something like that, which again caused my parents to stop my pocket money. But then who cares about a missing calf. The most exciting thing was the many medals on his chest anyway!
So what makes me think of Bravo? Why do I suddenly have time to deal with long forgotten things? Especially with a completely irrelevant topic?
My daughter is “out of the house”, my ex lives elsewhere and as a solo entrepreneur I just have a few weeks of forced sabbatical. Now I have to stay at home and sit in my garden, read books, cook myself fresh food every day (or support the local restaurants by ordering something delicious), I watch movies or have a really good clean up in the apartment.
As boring as this description reads, I find my life extremely inspiring. It seems to me that in times of boredom my focus suddenly becomes wider. I notice things again that I haven’t noticed for a long time:
The mice in the garden, for example, which I patiently try to catch with live traps. I have learned that you should also check live traps regularly, otherwise you could have used snap traps straight away.
Or spring with all its wonderful colours, smells and experiences. I have time to dig, sow and plant the garden, to experience the variety and life cycle of the flowers. And I am learning that a garden can also have too many flowers.
I also have time with others who feel bored, to talk on the phone, skype or zoom. And I’m also learning how intensive personality coaching can be, even though you’re supporting the client through a camera and not on site.
I have time to meditate and practice mindfulness.
Right now I have time to be linger for a long time.
“Boredom” in its negative form has not existed in my life for a long time. If you are flitting from place to place, from client to client, from meeting to conversation, taking an interest in “all the world and his wife”, you have no time for boredom. But unfortunately I have also lost it in its positive form. Sometimes I just stay stressed. If you stay relaxed, you can discover beautiful things. The expression “more haste, less speed” has just taken on a new meaning for me.
In my professional life I have not allowed myself to linger enough. I am currently changing that. Whatever I do now, I will dedicate more time to it than before (hopefully). And I am amazed at what there is to discover. For example the “Bravo” archive.
Brava.
German original text: HFI
English translation: BCO
Bildquellen
- at-home: Anrita1705 / Pixabay
