ESCAPE YOUR LIFE

Renske seems to like it (sometimes)

Don't worry, I'm not going to step out or anything. Out of life. But sometimes I just feel like my life is so stuck. Sure, I don't do exactly the same thing every week. We all know I'm a well-liked and mega handsome guy at drinks, parties, and gatherings. Moreover, I'm also a freelancer, so I have new jobs every week. Plenty of variety, you would say. But still... Overall, my days, weeks, and months just keep rolling by. Without me really feeling like I'm adding anything. I mean: it's January now, but we all know: before you know it, Renske will be back at the family Christmas dinner. As always. And then I look back on a year that I say: well. At least we made it through again.

This might be a bit of a strange, philosophical piece. Not a knee-slapper like you are used to from me. If you want to laugh, you should just read ANY other piece of mine. But not this one. Sorry to say.

Back to the subject: escape your life. The American Cosmopolitan is currently dedicating a whole theme to it: they see that millennials are massively eager to throw in the towel. To hang their (way too busy) jobs on the willow. To escape the - stressed - life they are currently stuck in. To escape the Trump era as well, as far as that is possible. And sometimes I just feel like it too. To take a completely different turn. To pack my things, cancel my jobs, and start anew somewhere else. With the goal of creating a different - and calmer - ‘scope’ for myself. Not that I have a specific fantasy life, as Cosmopolitan calls it, I have several. Sometimes I fantasize about just taking the first train I see, and seeing where the ship the train ends up. Other times I have an extreme urge to live on the heath, or in a Drenthe forest. After that, I suddenly find myself flipping through Funda (because I see that there is an old train station in Germany for sale) and the week after I want to start doing tiny living somewhere in a forest, on a heath, or at the beach. You know, one of those small self-built houses that everyone can put up and take down. Often people have a vegetable garden for their own crops and of course a pond to swim in. Admittedly: it’s just a matter of waiting to see if all my clothes and shoes can fit in the house, and my partner + two children also need to fit in, but you get it. Just: freedom. Loose. Away from the madness of the relentless day. Away from meeting deadlines, away from stress, away from traffic jams, away from my social media addiction and away from being sucked into stupid (work) things that seem to be of vital importance. Emphasis on seem.

I might currently be relying too much on short moments of happiness. Moments that are great, but that actually add nothing substantial tomorrow. added. Because sometimes I have that feeling: that what I do makes so little difference. Mmm. Emily Eshafani Smith (editor at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University) wrote The Power of Meaning, Crafting a Life That Matters, a book that states that ‘seeking a meaningful life’ brings more happiness in the long run than when you get stuck in short-term happiness. That it pays off to choose a life that might be more challenging (and requires more of your perseverance/stamina/courage) but at the same time has more meaning. So guess what, I'm going to order it and ponder a plan. No idea what will come out of it, but it seems good to subject my feelings to closer examination.

Oh, and if you recognize this account even slightly: very curious about your ‘Escape Your Life’ plans. Please share them; they can be incredibly inspiring for anyone who feels a bit stuck.

Greetings, my darlings!