Well, I have been in Alkmaar, Netherlands for about a week now. And who knew that having a nice place to stay, some comfort and friendliness of “home”, and good meals to eat would be…freeing. But it turns out that a big dose of some good old fashion comfort, hospitality and a little stability are just what the doctor ordered….
It has been a quiet day today. So quiet that I find myself restless. Isn’t there something I should do? Move to the left… move to the right. Mind wandering… searching the internet… and then, underneath the surface I notice… that I am… happy… for those of you following my nearly daily blog, you will take note that this is the second appearance happy has made in my daily dialogue. I take note of it in my life because… for a while now it… happiness… has eluded me. As I find it now, while I am hanging out on the couch in Marijke’s house in Holland, it makes me wonder if happiness hasn’t been there all along. Hanging out beneath the surface while I raced or darted about my day… worrying or making plans or losing myself in thoughts and emotions. There it is, happiness, just hanging out drinking a cup of coffee… wondering if we are ever going to notice that it’s there, and in that, not really caring one way or the other. After all, it is happy.
Happiness for me in the past 24 hours has included seeing two very lovely dutch towns not far from Alkmaar. As I have heard new acquaintances say, these towns are “typical dutch…” Ya know, canals, boats, bicycles… and of course windmills. But lovely all the same. I visited a college down called Leiden yesterday. This is the town where Marijke works. I accompanied her to her workplace, walked down a perfect little path about 2 kilometers and before you know I was in the town’s charming center. A little shy when on my own, I hesitantly chose a place to stop for coffee and a sandwich. It was on the canal and my seat at the coffee-house overlooked the water. My sandwich was smoked salmon, cheese, tomato and cucumber on a multi-grain bun. Yummy! After lunch I reconnected with Marijke and we headed for a town called Haarlem. Equal in charm to Leiden, it had a softer style and pace. It was a place you could just relax and be, filled with charming shops and restaurants, cobblestone streets.
And for now I am at home…just… hanging out… me and happy. Later tonight we will connect with a friend of Marijke’s. Low key. Chill. And… freeing.
Gypsy Woman 
Hey! Glad you liked my home town, Haarlem. Don’t live there anymore but it’s a nice place. 🙂
Yes, it is really beautiful!
Happiness sometimes comes softly in the quiet, still moments. Like a newborn flame, give it room to breathe, and grow and radiate it’s warmth. Much joy to you, my friend!