What I Learned in the Latest Orbit Around the Sun
Birthdays honor the anniversary of our arrival on Earth. Life is a gift!
Our birthdays are new years; I’ve always perceived them this way. I guess I was conveniently born in January when all New Years (based on Gregorian and Julian calendars) pass by. And then there is the Lunar New Year, another chance for your resolutions and intentions for the optimal self. One thing was certain: my birthday was upcoming, and my new year, a new orbit around the Sun, would start again. I am very grateful for it. Each year is and should be a blessing for all of us.
My trademark keywords of the previous spin around the Sun that marked my growth are: joy, courage, and good will.
Here are the things I learned in my past year around the sun.
Personal Growth and Resilience
First and foremost, as I wrote the other month in the live chat at Garance Doré’s channel, reflecting on 2024, I’ve learned how truly resilient I am. Resilient towards life changes, challenges, new opportunities, and new settings. I moved solo to a new country, Germany, in my late forties now, to a part of the country where I don’t speak the local language (you would be surprised how many Germans do not speak English, or do not want to). This major life event was both challenging and rewarding. Despite feeling anxious at the beginning, I learned new pathways and living settings, German ways of communicating, living, working, and thinking. Germans, as the unique creatures they are, are very community-oriented. For example, this is the first time in my life that as a tenant, I am part of a WhatsApp group with other tenants in my building. There is a sense of solidarity and community contribution and exchange. There's a huge emphasis on recycling and upcycling everything, from food to things and services. Everything is different than in the rest of Europe. Even water is different and, to me, a bit tasteless.
And there are many other things that are unique to this part of Germany. If anyone is interested in writing and talking more about German culture, please leave a comment.
Taking Risks and Personal Boundaries
Another thing I learned last year is that taking risks is very important. It’s crucial for our personal growth and for challenging ourselves to step outside the box and stretch those muscles. Sometimes we need to say “Yes” and hope that the net will appear. In most cases, it does. When it doesn’t, you will get back on your feet, most of the time. When we dare, things unfold. At your daily job, you don’t need to like most things, but it’s important to show up and just do your part and try to enjoy it. After, or before your daily job, do your thing, your universal contribution. Compartmentalizing is the key.
Taking risk to do something or meet someone can result in a beautiful project or friendship. Or not. Each contact or acquaintance has its purpose. Sometimes you meet acquaintances on your spin around the Earth, and they serve for some reason. For example, to test your intuition and boundaries. It’s up to you whether you will let your boundaries be crossed. Many times we need to protect ourselves and our work, while others we meet for the reason of reminding us about self-respect and listening to our inner voice, or intuition if you will. Having compassion and empathy for such people is also important as they go through battles and challenges of their own.
Meaningful Connections and Patience
Last year, I learned that serendipity, luck, and daring (again, risk!) go hand in hand. You need not miss the chance—a chance to meet someone, to save someone, and to let them save you. Sometimes it only takes to wake up someone, sitting next to you, from the sleep right before the takeoff and gently ask them to fasten the seat belt. There are people with whom you truly click, on a deeper level of this existence. These meet-cutes are very rare, not "accidental," and when they happen, you want to nurture them.
And I learned another lesson, on patience and trust. The ones who shake you to your core, disassemble you entirely, and then reassemble you, go into the deepest corners of your mind you didn’t know you had, reopen your old childhood wounds, and heal them most gently. Then, when you’re back, upgraded and healed, they poke and remind you every single day to grow and change. And they heal with you.
Creativity and the Creative Process
The final lesson from the previous orbital spin is on creativity and the creative process. I could write pages on this. I have new-old eyes looking at the act of creating and discovering new ideas and appreciating others’ efforts and contributions. This sculpture called Warrior with the Shield by Henry Moore, at Museum Ludwig, reminds that being an artist is to develop a warrior mentality and to become a spear.
I came to realize that ideas and creative downloads you get in the morning, in the shower, or during a walk are effortless, and you need to catch them before they leave for someone else. However, what’s tough is sitting down with yourself, facing the blank page that waits to be written, a blank canvas that waits to be painted, an empty notebook that waits for you to write, arrange, and compose.
Ideas are easy; making them into a palpable product is tough. It requires time, effort, determination, patience, and consistency.
Self-discipline. Not only self-discipline to create but self-discipline towards yourself as an artist, taking care of your physical and mental wellbeing, your surroundings, your working space, and the people you’re surrounded with.
That’s why in today’s (digital) society, it’s easier to consume and tough to create.
Waking up before dawn and creating—in my case, writing before everyone wakes—is the best thing I discovered last year. My father, a music creator, used to wake up very early, around 5, and then he would work and write. Having said this, I am working on my third book of prose, and G is reading and commenting on my English version of “Divertimento,” so this year all the English-speaking audience and English-speaking friends will be able to read it.
And when you wake up before dawn and while the city is still asleep, you can witness the most beautiful art creations in the sky.
All this, since my last birthday, has made me grow even stronger in the vertical and horizontal axes of my being, in my individuation process, and in my contribution.
Stay tuned for weekly Substack essays and progress on the writing process.
Have a fierce 2025!