A train of thought...

CLICK HERE for accompanying music

At first, embarking on a four-day-train journey from Belgium to Sweden seemed a crazy idea, but in the end, it turned out to be one of my best decisions ever made. Of course, taking the airplane to the Urban Agricultural Summit would have been easier, but as a sustainable-guy, I do have to set an example, right? Apart from that, I had two other reasons to opt for the train ride. First of all I could visit 2 beautiful cities on the way. But the most important reason was the voice within saying: you have to do this!!!!

Many people might have sensed it, many people might have noticed it, but when I departed from Belgium, I was scared as hell! Luckily for me, the magnificent Boris and Rodrigo provided me with safe shelter for my first night in Berlin. In 2011, my cousin and his husband decided that this city would become the location of the first Paleo-restaurant in the whole world. So, opening “Sauvage” can be seen as the official return of the healthiest eating-habit mankind has ever known. This is because the Paleolithic cuisine is created with the food our ancestors ate as hunters-collectors 10.000 years ago: It is gluten free, lactose free and sugar free. And in Sauvage, they do it as sustainable as possible: Like real inventors they create new dishes with local, seasonal vegetables and fruits, combined with fish or meat from wild/organic/grass fed animals (which is actually very hard to find these days). Apart from the amazing taste, that evening I felt like the healthiest man on earth. So if you ever visit Berlin, you should definitely try to score a diner at Sauvage: It will change your life! The evening was also colored by many interesting and inspiring conversations with the fantastic Boris and Rodrigo. But unfortunately, morning came, and I had to continue my train adventure.

Sauvage by night!
Click here for Sauvage Website

Boris promoting Paleo - food (awesome photo)
Click here for Sauvage FB-page

I just wrote half a page about the path which I am following in the pursuit of my dreams. Leaving Belgium was like jumping in the unknown or taking this huge leap of faith. But this explanation just felt wrong, that’s not what it is; I’m not Captain America, I’m not the red knight, I’m not a hero on a quest to fight evil and do good; that’s not what I do. I’m just a normal guy, dealing with normal insecurities, trying to break free from the imaginary shackles I laid upon myself. And that’s another issue: What are insecurities? Are they problems? Can they be solved? For instance death, as something unknown, is it something to be frightened of? Is it something to be solved?

As I entered Copenhagen, all kind of worries and insecurities still gnawed in my stomach, Untill José Bedoya took me on a walk. He is a fantastic, very open and extremely sapient guy that I met through couchsurfing. He lives, studies and works in Copenhagen and offered me a guided tour. And as we were walking through the snowy city, I enjoyed listening to his vast knowledge about Copenhagen. But we also talked about life, about the mysteries of the universe and about the past, the present and the future. He took great care in listening to my story, my associated dreams and my worries. All of the sudden, something funny  happened: He made me feel as strong and confident as I had never felt before. But what was this mystical force that made me feel invincible? Was it some kind of dormant power of a true hero that had awakened inside me? That would make me very special and unique, wouldn’t it. Hell, everybody wants to be Luke Skywalker, Superman, Spiderman or any other superhero that protects the weak and the innocent. But…the weak and the innocent…doesn’t this sound wrong? Because don’t forget: talking about everyone that is not the hero, talking about that useless and feeble crowd that needs rescuing, these people also include you, yes, YOU! Do you need protection? Do you want to be led? Do you want choices to be made for you? Cause for me, this way of thinking…it just feels…wrong. So, as far as I’m concerned, it is just wrong to describe this change of feelings as the awakening of my long hidden super-power. But how should I describe it then? It took me about two weeks to figure it out.

Anyway, Jose and me had a fantastic time in Copenhagen: We were as relaxed as tourists and we had fun like children. He made me pose with the little mermaid, we jumped on the city trampolines and we did a lot of other stuff that seemed silly, but was actually a lot of fun. Oh, and before I forget, everyone who visits Copenhagen, definitely has to check out Christiana: it started out as a independent hippy-commune in the sixties, and today, it is still a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood, which is pretty cool.

Me and my Copenhagen Girlfriend - pic by jose

If I had chosen to take the airplane, I would not have done all these fantastic things and I would not have arrived at the Urban Agricultural Summit with as much confidence. Instead, I followed my guts. And when I arrived in Linkoping, the worries in my stomach had transformed into tickling confidence, the doubts and insecurities felt easy to overcome and I saw joy and happiness everywhere. This was because of a train of thought that helps me to accept all insecurities as a part of life, a train of thought that enables me to meet all worries with celebration and a train of thought that makes me see the beauty of life as a whole.

And that is no superpower, that is something that everyone can do!