Ik had twee jaar geleden – in 2024 – al de intentie om dit blog te starten, had heel voortvarend de domeinnaam geclaimd en een logo gemaakt, maar het idee kwam niet verder dan de overvolle projectenkraamkamer in mijn brein.
Een aantal weken geleden vroeg oud-studiegenoot Daniel of ik een verhaal wilde schrijven voor zijn blog. Dat was zo leuk om te doen – en het is heerlijk om zijn blog over de bergen, ultrarunning en je eigen pad kiezen te lezen – dat de inspiratie toch weer terugkwam.
Daarom deel ik ‘m hier ook. Wel in het Engels.
It's Not That Hard: Just Pick Up Your Cat And Go
I want to start by saying that I am honored to share this (online) space with these other adventurers, athletes, wise humans.
I’m not an athlete, but simply an individual with a heart full of love for the great outdoors, and I chose to pursue that love, my own way.
My first great love
About ten years ago, in 2015, I made a move that – in retrospect – changed my life: I spent my first winter season in the Alps, in Tirol, working for a skischool. Wow, what a breath of fresh air! The simplicity of that life widened my perspective enormously. And something else happened too. I was drawn towards these mountain peaks and ridges with such power I hadn’t experienced before.
I kept going to the Alps, as often as I could, summers and winters. I learned to climb, bike, hike, run; I learned about the animals that live here, the plants, glaciers and rocks, how everything moves and interacts; I learned about safety, sleeping in huts, nourishing my body. And it felt so right. Everything I already knew in my fibres, about living in balance, leaving no trace, kindness and respect for all living beings and natural processes – it suddenly made sense.
Every time I made the drive, my heart would jump at the first sight of those rugged peaks. Butterflies tickled my stomach. They still do.
Can I hitch a ride to my future?
Two years ago, an opportunity presented itself and I just leapt. It all went so quickly but still somehow very well-planned. An apartment became available in the village where it all started – and it was mine if I wanted it (okay, I stalked the landlady every week until she agreed to let me rent it). I burned pretty much every bridge: I quit my job, ended my relationship, sold our house and most of our stuff, handed in my car, picked up my cat Spooky and off we went. We hitched a ride – I still cannot believe how well that all came together – and moved in with almost no possessions.
I started my own company in the field that I studied in and made it work – because I had to, our lives and freedom depended on it, so I worked hard to attract clients and projects I believe in. Now, I get to decide how I spend my time, and like Geert (guest blogger #5) wrote, the clock in my head faded away.
The mountains calm me down, and invite me: come up here, tiny human, and feel alive. And I have the freedom to listen to this call and go.
Sounds perfect? Don’t let social media fool you; nothing is. Making new friends or learning the dialect is tough. I’ve spent a lot of time regretting my relationship break. But at the end of the day, I’m happy. People ask me if I want to stay here until I’m 80 and I firmly say: no. There’s so much to explore, outside and within – and this was never about settling, but rather about following my heart.
Learning by doing, and being
I am slowly stripping myself of all the layers of expectations that formed me when I was younger. I keep discovering that I am not done, that there is more. To discover, to unpack, to grow. I am still searching. But where feeling uncertain would make me nervous and stressed in the past, I learned that this is for me the entire purpose of being alive! What a blessing that I have all this space and time to discover how I function, how I relate to nature and to life!
There are many lessons here, but I think an important one is: we are part of nature, but most of us forgot (or never learned) how to be in touch with that, and going on adventures outside strengthens that connection enormously. It’s healing; it gives you perspective; it teaches you what really matters and what doesn’t matter so much. It cuts out all the distraction and noise that we’ve grown accustomed to in our fast-paced world.
A simpler lesson is: it’s really not that hard to make a change in your life. But it isn’t going to happen for you. You gotta get up and take action. You can’t fail as long as you see everything as a learning experience and are ready to adapt.
I would love to be a mountain guide in the future, to show all of this to people, or at least help them dip their toes in. For me, adventuring high in the mountains and personal growth are inevitably intertwined. If you — yes, you! — ever find yourself in the Ötztal region of Tirol: feel free to reach out, we can hike and philosophize!
Thank you for reading! I’ve never shared this story as a whole. Thank you Daniel for lending me your platform.
