What exactly do I miss about Berlin? My memories of Germany, especially of Berlin, Frankfurt, Lübeck and Bavaria, where I often am, fade. It seems to me as if I had not been there for an eternity. But it’s been three weeks. I wanted to do pretty much exactly what I’m doing right now: work online and then take an Easter vacation. Easter is coming up and so there are more days with curfew. The days are the same and so the past becomes a big lump that blocks the view on life “before Corona”.
The tips against the camp fever are put to the extreme test. I still have the upper hand and am the shaper of my life. I do not want to allow myself the feeling of being subjected to the curfew. To feel unfree, not an option. On the contrary:
- I go to the sports WITHOUT rushing there and then sweaty by the cold Berlin wind to cycle
- I create new, healthy routines for myself, like regular cooking
- I am grateful for many little things I have not seen before
- in the “stress test” my immeasurable optimism comes out (some people already call this kind of resilience, but I think that’s exaggerated) and
- I dance around the apartment more, just like that.
And today I was in the Hasenheide (Berlin-Kreuzberg) in the gym! A mega-relaxed guy with southern German speech coloring has been sitting cross-legged on a pink yoga mat for 10 minutes already, that I get pain while watching. I sit down on the floor and let myself in on “Stretch & Relax”. This fits to Sunday and I don’t even have to leave the house for it. Thanks for a moment Berlin. The connection that a live stream creates is incredibly helpful!
My memory says that in Berlin things are possible that hardly work anywhere else. I love this freedom and incompleteness there, this mixture of everything to be a little bit of everything. A bit of big city and also village, international and provincial, loud and quiet.
Looking closer, I feel very good where I am. I miss the old life, but if I could just challenge Berlin to fulfill my promises… I would be disappointed. Curfew and contact ban now affects everyone, everywhere.
I’d much rather stay curious about Germany “nach Corona”. Let’s see what remains and which unexpected details will change permanently? I am curious to see what will remain of the new patterns of interaction.
I hope the best of both. But until then, here are some great tips against depressive mood during curfew!