Life Stories

Once upon a time there was a grandfather. He told his young grandson a story about the two wolfs who lived within him.

“You know,” grandfather said, “One of them is a very nice wolf. He is gentle, funny, always keeps calm, is intelligent, friendly and very joyful.”

“How is the other one?” the little boy asked.… Read more

I have an empty white page in front of me. I could write anything. The choice is enormous, almost scary.

I choose to write about exactly this, the possibilities that I have. So I ask myself,

Should I write about commitment, because I have a friend who just canceled our date? Should I select the encounter I had with a cat the other day?… Read more

We can’t have everything. We can’t always just take. Life consists of taking AND giving. It seems, however, that in our society the giving and taking has come out of balance. This applies to feelings like caring and sharing as well as material goods. The more you have, the more you seem to be valued. The richer in money, the more you supposedly can accumulate.… Read more

There is more to pouring hot water over leaves that we then call tea. Drinking tea can be as elaborate as a Japanese Tea Ceremony using real china or as brutal as slurping a brown sludge in a paper cup that has been brewed from a teabag.

I love tea, all sorts of herbal teas or infusions as you also might call it, and also black tea, depending of the time of the day.… Read more

When I doubt that there is a higher force behind my life, it is usually because things don’t work out the way I want them to or because they work out so well that I think I am the one who knows it all. Then, something comes along and shows me that there must be more to life.… Read more

The other day I watched a Documentary about Minimalism. It told the story of two men who de-cluttered their lives by living with the bare minimum. They had decided to do so after accumulating every material thing you can imagine and found that they were not happy and their lives felt meaningless.

It reminded me of a seminar I offered a couple of years ago when I was still working as a coach and trainer in Switzerland.… Read more

“If you are not for me, then you are against me!” I don’t remember who said this. It seems, however, to be the point of view of many people. It looks obvious. You can’t be both, only one way or the other, black or white.

Really? When I was still teaching the advanced classes of ‘Autogenic Training’*, I used to do an exercise with my students.… Read more

The Island of Maui/HI is still a place where the spirit of ALOHA is felt. The word “Aloha” has many meanings. In short, it is a way of life, it is an attitude of lovingly caring and sharing, joyfully sharing life. Living more from the heart and less from the mind.

There are some on this island who show this Aloha spirit in very special ways.… Read more