Happy & Healthy

May I introduce myself?

As an Amayzine fan from the very beginning, I have always been a bit jealous of all those editors who, I imagined, spend the whole day being fabulous. I imagined how Jet would make green smoothies with raw chocolate balls, how May, dressed from head to toe in Isabel Marant, would catch the others up on the new hotspots in Paris, how Josselin would casually paint her nails in a Dior polka dot pattern, how they would go to all sorts of trendy parties and openings after work and never be tired or on their period or grumpy.

And there I was myself. Completely alone behind my computer. Dressed in sweatpants and a stained T-shirt. My two old dogs (one of which has very bad breath) as my only company. In between, I did laundry, I did occasionally make a green smoothie, and I drank coffee with friends, but to be completely honest, I started to get a bit bored. And I found it increasingly difficult to put in my hours. Because why start at nine o'clock when you can also start at eleven? And why say no to a lunch or coffee or tea appointment when it can always happen?

It is of course quite nice to be able to manage your own time, it is wonderful to be able to go to the beach when the sun is shining and yes, if I want to work for a month from, say, Bali, then I can. But too much freedom can also feel like emptiness. All those chunks of time that you have to figure out how to fill, without anyone ever telling you what to do. Always pulling everything from yourself, always alone behind that f*** computer... I longed to just have to show up somewhere at half past nine with washed hair. Does that sound crazy?

”The team is very nice. And you get a lot of gifts.’ ’Yes! Yes! Yes!‘ And: ’yes!‘ I said.’

And then there was the question of whether I could write some posts for Amayzine every week. ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘but only if I can work at your office.’ ‘We have very nice lunches,’ said May-Britt, as if she still had to sell it to me. ‘And always fresh ginger to make tea. The team is very nice. And you get a lot of gifts.’ ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ And: ‘yes!’ I said.

So here I am. Being completely amayzing with my new Amayzine colleagues. I've already had my first ginger tea, we make jokes about Melania Trump's tightened face that can only move her pupils, and there was a great goodie bag waiting for me, full of Dior makeup and Chanel perfume. Me very happy. But, you might think, what do we get out of this?

I obviously hope that you will enjoy me as much as I enjoy you. To start, I will regularly write about self-help topics and personal development. I am personally addicted to self-help books, have been in therapy for three years (which was really necessary), and am taking a course in haptonomy. I really hope that with my knowledge and experience I can make you all a little bigger and stronger. Because we all deserve to be happy with ourselves.

Furthermore, I like to write about travel (I am addicted to this), food (also addicted, although a bit less), inspiring women, light spirituality, beauty for 40+ (because that’s me, even though I pretend it’s not). And my favorite books! And maybe I’ll even give you some writing tips if May-Britt allows it. Basically everything that occupies my mind and that you hopefully find interesting.

I would also love to hear from you! Email me at marion@amayzine.com. With your questions, ideas, or just to say hello.

Written by Marion Pauw