It's a holiday here in Berlin and it's noon and I'm still in bed after six days of non-stop travel and exploring Amsterdam, Berlin, and soon to be Prague tomorrow.
I finally have a moment to relax a bit on this wild and exciting trip, reminding myself that life is sometimes like a roller coaster and at other times like a merry-go-round and learning to roll with either at any time. On my travels, it's been both. :)
Life is also sometimes like a good film... and being the consummate art lover and romantic that I am, I can't help but admit that part of what drew me to Berlin (and to fall quickly in love with it) is one of my favorite films, Wings of Desire, by Wim Wenders. In it, compassionate, thoughtful angels watch over the city of Berlin and its inhabitants, able to read their thoughts and provide comfort for them.
I was very nervous about this trip, and at times, had a lot of fear/anxiety, or to be German about it, angst. But literal and figurative angels have come out of the earth and ether to provide encouragement and aid... My Amsterdam host transporting me from the train station and helping me with navigating the city... waiters and bartenders for letting me charge my dying phone battery countless times... a Norwegian comedy actor who took me on a date and made me feel like a princess all afternoon... the young German man at the train station who carried my luggage down at each transfer as we traveled together, and who ran with me carrying my suitcase to catch our connecting train (we made it).
And here in Berlin where nearly everyone I've met has been helpful or humane to me in some way. Reminders that there are many kind hearts among us everywhere.
...And through my own thoughts and my own heart... these shifts I'm noticing on my travels and in more stressful moments in my way of thinking and processing the world, and my feelings, frustrations... angels whispering in my ear to be more patient with myself, more compassionate, more loving.
These are all nothing short of blessings to me.
Wings of Desire: Greetings from Berlin
