What Counts as Rest? Rest sounds simple until people begin talking about it. We imagine silence, sleep, an empty calendar and perhaps a comfortable chair positioned somewhere far away from responsibility. Then real life interferes. One person rests beside a race. Another needs a house full of noise. Somebody else finishes the work, cleans the…
My warning light glows politely, my gramophone refuses to optimise me, and sometimes the best way to recharge is to travel hundreds of kilometres to a concert. During our Wednesday Swimming Club conversation, we tried to understand what rest actually looks like. This immediately created a problem: the moment people begin explaining how to rest…
More photos from my holiday in the Netherlands. Julianadorp lies just south of Den Helder, between bulb fields, dunes and the North Sea. Named after Princess Juliana, the village combines its polder history with a strong seaside character. This summer, that story has been recreated in sand, with sculptures appearing at several locations around the…
After two weeks in the desert, drinking warm water and sleeping in a tent, an ordinary cold Kronenbourg became one of the best beers of my life. An ordinary beer becomes a very good beer after 100 kilometres. To be honest, after 100 kilometres, every liquid is good. Water is good. Coffee is good. But…
We talk about language as a skill, a product and, increasingly, something a machine can produce. But language began somewhere simpler: with one person trying to reach another. When we forget the person, communication may continue, but something essential disappears. A sentence can now be produced without a human being typing it. We know this….
They say the bigger the storm, the brighter the rainbow. And maybe that’s true. The dark, heavy clouds don’t mean everything is ruined—they’re usually just clearing out the noise so something better can take its place. A rainbow only looks that bright because of the dark sky sitting right behind it, and maybe these messy,…
Ralf’s lasagne replaces the white sauce with more slow-cooked Bolognese, a serious amount of garlic and enough cheese to make even a reheated portion feel like a highlight. The Mayor was slightly disappointed with me. After a busy Sunday, there had been no new culinary adventure in our house. No barbecue, no special restaurant and…
For me, rest does not always mean doing nothing. Sometimes it begins when the daily routine disappears and I can simply enjoy the people around me. Our family holiday begins in a way that does not sound very relaxing. At 6:30 in the evening, I have a football match. After the match, I will go…
We imagined seven days without the internet, WhatsApp or online payments. Ismar expected peace—until the quiet reached his mother, the supermarket and the rest of the city. By Atlantic Corridor Ritesh’s chair was empty before the experiment had even begun. He had cancelled fifteen minutes before our Atlantic Corridor conversation. His absence altered the balance…
A weekend of old traditions, early starts, a determined wife and one sleeping man showed me that rest is not always doing nothing. Sometimes it is knowing when to step forward, when to step back, and when to let the sofa win. Sunday Begins at 4:30. On Sunday morning, my wife came into the bedroom…
